《Invoker》 Spell 00 : The Beginning Spell 00 : The Beginning ''Have you guys heard? It''s finally out!'' ''Yeah! I mean, it was kinda in the Beta mode, and there were rumors going around it was gonna be released next year...'' ''I gained 5 levels last night!'' ''Only 5? I got 10!'' School began this morning with almost everyone shouting excitedly, at the top of their voices, about the new game, RoyalRoad, that was just released yesterday. To play the game, you can''t just play it on your computer. You have got to purchase a capsule, REPLACE your own body inside it and basically make yourself asleep... And vulnerable to anyone who decides to rape you or something. I wasn''t really keen on the idea. Though a professional gamer in all kinds of games (why yes, I''m proud to call myself that), the idea of letting some advanced technology screwing around with my brainwaves puts me off totally. I mean, come on, it''s gotta be some sort of conspiracy right? Those big corporations are definitely prying into our privacy with these capsules. So I made my mind. I was never gonna touch that RoyalRoad. Well that was until I heard that SHE was playing the game. ''Hey! Vanessa! You''re coming for today''s dance rehearsal right?'' ''Nah, sorry, Laine. I''m kinda busy today... Tell the others for me, yeah?'' ''Oh yeah, I forgot. You gotta play that RoyalGate or something right? And on your father''s orders too, huh!'' ''Yeah... And it''s RoyalRoad, not RoyalGate. I''m really sorry, Laine. I''ll be sure to attend Thursday''s rehearsal! See ya!'' ''Sure. See you on Thursday then! Bye!'' I was packing up my bag, getting ready to leave the lecture hall when I overheard the conversation. And dropped all my paper notes on the floor when I realised who were the two having the conversation. ''Hey, look! Guys, it''s Julius being a retard again! He dropped all his notes! What an idiot!'' Typical Tidus. Always laughing at the misfortunes of everybody. Face red, I immediately bent down and started scooping up my notes. I caught a whiff of lavender as someone presented my notes to me. I looked up, hardly believing my luck. Vanessa, who managed to pick up the rest of my notes, handed them to me. ''Here you are! Be more careful next time, okay?'' She smiled, and said. ''Thanks.'' That was all I could mutter, utterly smitten with her charming smile. Holding onto the notes, I watched her climb up the steps and left the lecture hall, still bewildered at what just happened. I couldn''t believe that the school''s belle, Vanessa, didn''t laugh at me like most of the others would and even took it upon her to help me with my troubles. Now that the fun was over, everyone was slowly shuffling out of the lecture hall. Tidus, sensing nothing was going to happen, left too. My usual group of friends came up to me, all chatting excitedly. ''Hey Julius! Oh my GOD! Did you j-just talked to Vanessa?! THE Vanessa?'' Jay burst. ''Oh man, you have to thank all the Gods of luck today! Like burn them hell gold or something. Or get on your knees and pray for the whole night or something I don''t know. You Christian or Buddhist?'' Benedict laughed. ''Yeah, I mean, someone like her, talking to nobodies like all of you. Man, if it were me, she would have pitied me and given me her number. I mean, c''mon. Everyone knows I''m the most han-'' Keith never got to finish his sentence; Jay slapped his mouth shut. ''It was just... Nothing, guys. Calm down. Come on, let''s go home. I wanna play some Dota before I start with today''s assignments.'' I said to them, picking up my bag and walking towards the exit. They too, followed me out of the hall. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. On the way home, I started thinking about a lot of things. A million things must have went through my mind that afternoon. But the most shocking thing of all to me was that Vanessa was playing RoyalRoad! This could be my only chance to talk to her and engage with her. I know I have nothing to prove to her in reality. I haven''t got the looks, the athleticism, the grades nor the talents that all the popular people in my school had. But I know I have got one thing that most people do not have. I have the gamer blood in me. I can play any game, be it action, sports or even dress-up Barbie, and easily top the rankings. So this was it. As I got off the bus, I took out my phone, and Googled the website of Unicorn Inc. ... School carried on as per usual for the next two days. Then during recess, I was eating with Benedict when Keith joined our table, saying he had some interesting news. ''Good day to you fags. Listen, I heard some pretty interesting things. Wanna hear?'' said Keith, as he sat down. ''Yeah, good day to you too, idiot. C''mon, what is it you heard?'' I replied. ''Y''know the other day when Julius jizzed the moment he heard about Vanessa playing RoyalRoad? Well, for a favour to an old friend, I decided to do some snooping. Apparently, her dad''s in Unicorn Inc. And he''s one of the co-founders of the game. Here''s the part you won''t believe. You all think that she spends her free time studying to death at home right? Well, guess what? She''s been playing that game at home all the time since the game was made Beta!'' he finished, with a dramatic bite out of his chicken wing. I was dumbfounded at that. Here I was thinking that I could create a new account in the game, level up a bit more, then look for Vanessa''s avatar in the game so that we go partying together and show her what a man was all about in a game. Now I realised, she''s probably a high level character in the game and extremely powerful. Nothing I can show off to her then... I went home that day, feeling disappointed. When I got home, my mum told me a package arrived for me earlier that day. She sounded pissed, and I knew why. I paid for the subscription of RoyalRoad using her credit card. I went up to my room, feeling a sense of dread. I opened the door, and whistled lowly. It really was a big capsule. And it looked like it didn''t need a plug too either. Looking at it, I shook my head. I made a promise to myself. No more being a useless guy in school. No more being the fool for Tidus. I have got to make something happen between me and Vanessa. I opened the capsule, and stepped into it. I sensed drowsiness immediately, and closed my eyes, feeling the familiar sense of falling asleep... Almost immediately, a message appeared in the darkness. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=middle width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][pc]Connect to Royal Road?[/pc][/col][col colspan=2 valign=middle width=50% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][pc]Yes.[/pc][/col][col colspan=2 valign=middle width=50% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][pc]No.[/pc][/col][/box] With all my resolve, I shouted. ''YES!'' [p=center]Next Chapter?[/p] Spell 01 : The Awakening Spell 01 : The Awakening
The scan on your iris and vein has determined that you are an unregistered user. Do you want to create a new account?
''Yes. Definitely.''
Select the name of your avatar.
''Crow.''
Select your gender. Male, Female or Neutral?
''Male.''
Royal Road has forty-nine races. You may select your race. Please note that you have only 29 to choose from.
I know I''m gonna be a mage. I always end up playing that class in most games. Better choose a race that''s more relevant... ''Elf.''
Which type of Elf? Night, Dark, High or Wood Elf?
''High Elf.''
You may alter your appearance as you wish.
An image of my avatar appeared in front of me. To be honest, I thought I could look like Orlando Bloom from Lord of The Rings, but man, I can''t have Vanessa falling in love with a face that''s not mine... ''Shorten the ears, but leave them pointed. Otherwise, everything else is fine.''
Your account has been activated. Your stats and class shall be determined while you are playing Royal Road. Please select a city and kingdom you wish to start in.
''The Forest of No Return.''
Welcome to Royal Road. A tutorial is available if you wish to go through it.
''Pass.''
We wish you all the best in your adventures. Fame and glory await you at every turn!
There was a bright flash of light and I closed my eyes... I could immediately sense nature all around me. Opening my eyes, I exhaled deeply. This is beyond incredible, I thought to myself. Trees. Nothing but gigantic trees surrounded me. And all the trees were connected by thick branches. NPCs and players alike were making use of these branches as roads. You could see tree-houses as well as dens carved deep into trunks of many trees. Some of these dens were actually the homes of vendors selling wares. This wasn''t just a normal forest. This was a civilisation made out of a forest. ''Off the path, newbie, or do you want to fall to your death?'' A booming voice behind me said. I took a step to the side, and looked behind me. An extremely high leveled Night Elf warrior stood behind me, judging from the equipment he wore. Without another word, he continued walking. It then occurred to me why I could actually die from falling. I only realised then I was standing on a branch, and I was so high above that I couldn''t even see the roots of the tree I was standing on! Honestly, the grandeur of the forest has made me feel really lost. I took a deep breath and considered my next course of action. ''Open Racial traits!'' One of the reasons why I chose High Elf as a race was because of their known affinity towards magic. Elves, compared to the other races, were more proficient with elemental magic and high elves, in particular, were the most adept at magic.
Racial Traits
Magic AffinitySpells deal 5% more damage.
Nature''s Blessing10% increased Nature Resistance.
Mana Addiction15% increased recovery effect when consuming Mana regeneration items
However, Elves are very weak, considering they have very low HP stats to go along with high Intelligence and Wisdom. Elf mages are even weaker so, as they are only able to wear Cloth armor. Nevertheless, I believe, with enough training, I can make up for the shortfall of stats. So where would a mage-wannabe go first? The library, of course. Having done my research, I found out that the head of the library here was an archmage. I should probably find a chance to talk to him first, and see if I can learn anything from him. Walking for the first time since I entered this world, I climbed down the branch into the entrance of the tree. I found a patrolling guard and asked for directions. After listening to him, I found out that the Grand Enchantium (the name for their library here) was on Lydrassil, about three trees away. I gave my thanks and started walking towards the direction of Lydrassil. As I was walking, I realised many things about my surroundings. First of all, the Elves were pretty open about what they do. They do not really make use of doors; most of the rooms here were alcoves. Entry and exit was pretty much free. Also, the Elves lived in most of the trees here. Having made use of the trees being partially hollow, they have built their homes and shops inside most of the trees. The only form of light source in the trees themselves were illuminated orbs, which I suspect are the work of enchanters. Scaling up and down of the tree was done with the use of stairwells, and there were many springs around. Truly, the Elves have never stayed away from tradition and are living their lives as different from the other races as possible. After what seemed like forever, I finally arrived at the Enchantium. From the architecture of the library, I can tell the Elves are really proud of their work. The library was so splendid that one would feel like an aristocrat just by looking at it. Imagine the Lincoln Memorial. Now imagine the memorial being ten times grander. The marble doors were so well polished that they shone. The grand arches were supported by tall and square-flutted columns wrapped in ivy. All the windows were made of stained glass, and not to mention there was a nearby fountain that spouted crystal clear water, forming a rainbow against the soft light that escaped from the tree canopies above. I climbed up the white-washed steps and opened the marble doors. The interior of the library was even more elaborately designed. Shelves were so tall that they reached all the way to the top floor. All staircases seemed to be made out of solid gold, and the floors were all well-carpeted. A harp seemed to be playing elsewhere, for I could make out the heavenly tune of gentle music playing in the background of the library. In the middle of the library was a desk, and seated behind was perhaps the assistant librarian. I walked up to her and cleared my throat. Perhaps a tad too loud. ''Yes? And keep your voice down please!'' She said, looking annoyed. ''Sorry. I''m looking for the head of the library. Do you know where I can find him?'' I asked. ''He''s out for the moment. Do you have any business with him?'' ''Not really. I just came here looking for a chance to talk to him.'' A smirk began to spread across the face. Pushing her glasses up, she lifted her hand and whispered something. ''Sorry?'' I asked. She said nothing. I looked at her with a blank expression, expecting something to happen. I did not have to wait long. A book flew past my ear from behind me, and straight into her hand. ''Read this first. Come back to me when you have finished reading this book.'' She said, handing me the book. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Still getting over the shock of the flying projectile, I nodded and took the book. I found an empty seat by the small fountain and sat down. I stared at the cover of the book, utterly dumbfounded. The title was ''Cleaning Methods | The Best Way to Have A Stain-free Home!'' It was just a 15-page book about methods to clean up the house. I finished the book within 5 minutes, merely skimming through the pages. I stood up, and went back to the assistant librarian. ''Here. I finished it.'' I said, giving her back the book. ''Excellent. That was rather fast. Let me ask you then. What was the reagent mentioned in page 9 that is second-most effective in removing mud?'' she asked, with a faint glint in her glasses. I looked at her. I obviously did not know the answer since I did not really read the book. ''Tut, tut. It''s not really reading if you don''t know what you read, right?'' she said, handing me back the book. I took it back, and went back to my seat. I tried to memorise every detail mentioned in the book. It wasn''t easy, considering that books kept flying past the walkways, making rather annoying sounds. And I could not shake off this feeling that someone was spying on me. Shaking my head, I concentrated on the book. *PING*
Intelligence + 1 Wisdom + 1 Gained new skill : Fast Reading!
''Open skill window : Fast Reading!''
[p=center]Fast Reading Beginner Level 1. 0% Reads all texts 5% faster. Manacost : Zero (Passive Skill)[/p]
Woah, I didn''t know such a handy skill could come from such a mundane task like reading. I continued reading and memorising every detail in the book. When I was sure I had memorised everything, I took the book and went back to the assistant librarian. ''Back again? What is the third ingredient for cleanliness, according to Lady Del''s Philosophy of Profound Cleansing?'' She said, without even looking up. ''Determination, with a bit of elbow grease. To get rid of the stubbornest of stains.'' I replied, nonchalantly. ''Alright. Take this book, and come back when you''re done.'' She said, handing me yet another book. I took it, and without another word, went back to my seat to peruse the book. It was harder to concentrate on the book this time. Not only was the text slightly faded, there seemed to be more books flying around in the library now. It was really distracting, and when I finally finished with the book, I wasn''t surprised to have gained 3 stat points each in Intelligence and Wisdom, as well as 2 levels in Fast Reading, making it level 3 now. I also gained a new stat, Concentration, which improves my ability to focus on anything. When I went back to the assistant librarian, she was busy with her paperwork. ''You took only an hour. I doubt you really finished with everything. Recite Obsidian Wizard''s 2nd Law of page 32, and explain how it can counter an anti-magic spell.'' She said, without even looking up. ''The law states that magic, at its source and very essence, is still magic, no matter how one is to change its intent or inclination. No spell can be cast without the use of magic. This means that as long as you know the runeworks involved in the casting of the anti-magic spell, you can reverse its effects on the caster by casting a reversal spell using back the same runeworks.'' I babbled off from my mind, surprising myself even that I can recite it so accurately. She looked up, clearly surprised. ''Not bad, that was really beyond my expectations. Alright, next book please. Oh and, I have to tell you something. I have to turn off the lights in the library because some of the librarian''s mangineers are fixing the lights in the basement. Here, I''ll teach you how to summon a light for yourself.'' She said, handing me yet another book.
[p=center]Gained new Spell: Luminous Light Luminous Light Beginner Level 1. 0% Creates a small ball of light near you. Use as a light source. Lasts 5 minutes. Manacost : 10[/p]
At this point, I was getting really annoyed. I took the book, which qualifies as a tome now, looking at its size, and without even saying thanks, went back to the same seat. ''Cast Luminous Light!'' A ball of light, no bigger than the size of an apple, appeared right in front of me. I opened the book and started reading. It was even more difficult now; some of the books flying around the library were actually screaming. Yes, screaming. I was surprised how the Enchantium actually keeps these books around. I also had to keep recasting Luminous Light after every 5 minutes. This must be some sort of test to see the archmage. No matter, whatever trials they have for me, I will overcome it! So, this continued for a while. Occasionally, I left the library to have my meals, since eating was prohibited in the library. I only had the 10 pieces of rye bread in my inventory to deal with, seeing that I have not taken on any job to earn money. Eventually, on the third day, I went back to the library assistant with not just one book, but 6 different encyclopedia-sized books, all on different topics. By that time, I had already gained an additional 25 Intelligence points, 40 Wisdom points, 35 Concentration points. My Fast Reading skill was already at level 9, and my Luminous Light Spell was at level 8. I could control its size and light power now. The library assistant was, as I expected, still busy with her paperwork. But when she saw me coming, she at least looked me in the eye before she did her usual recitation tests. When I passed all her tests and answered her questions perfectly, I saw her smile warmly for the first time. ''It looks like you''re ready to see him now. Congratulations, you have passed all the tests and trials set for you. I must admit, I was surprised you managed to pass this all somehow. You aren''t the first one that came here asking to see the grand archmage; many before have come, and all failed to pass the first trial. Only a few survived the first day, but never came back the subsequent day. Only you, young traveller, have managed to pass everything. Do you wish to see the archmage now? He is waiting for you in his chamber.'' She asked.
[p=center]Quest Received! You have passed all the trials and tests the Grand Enchantium has set for you in order to see the head of the Enchantium. You are now ready to see the archmage. Do you accept? Difficulty : F Yes | No[/p]
''Yes!'' I replied.
[p=center]Quest Accepted![/p]
''Alright then.'' She said, waving her hand in a circular motion. By the time I realised she was casting another spell, it was too late. As though lifted by some invisible force, I was levitated up towards the ceiling of the library. The assistant must have been a mage of at least level 300! No mage can learn the levitating spell before that level. The ceiling, as I suspected after spending 3 days here, was probably an illusion. I was right; I shot through the ceiling without so much as a crash and landed on a flight of steps that led to two gigantic doors. Behind me was a sea of clouds. I took a gulp of my own saliva, and faced the two doors. This was it! The archmage''s chamber! My chance to see the archmage has finally arrived! [p=center]Next chapter?[/p] Spell 02 : The Ages Spell 02 : The Ages Just as I was about to climb up the stairs, I received a message. ''Is that you, Julius? Oh my God, this game is so cool! I''m in a town right now. I can see everything! You won''t believe what I can smell here! I think I-''
[p=center]You are about to turn off Whispers from other players Proceed? Yes | No[/p]
''Yes.'' I said. Benedict can be really over-enthusiastic sometimes. My friends immediately got game subscriptions for themselves when they heard I was playing Royal Road, and it looks like Benedict got into the game first. But I''m too excited to entertain them now. Have to focus on the task at hand. The gigantic doors, though massive, weighed as light as feathers. I gave them a gentle push, and they swung inwards easily. Inside the chamber was a grand study of some sort. The chamber was split into two floors; the first containing mostly shelves stocked with books and scrolls. There were many desks lined up against the walls of the chamber with various trinkets like alchemy sets, statues, wands etc. The second floor looked more like a bedroom. There were closets and study tables as well as a four-post bed. ''Welcome! Enter please, and make yourself at home. Do not touch any of my magical artifacts and you will be fine. Take a seat on the armchair by the fireplace, if you will. I will be with you shortly.'' An aged voice reverberated around the room. I looked around for the source of the sound, and only managed to see the speaker by craning my neck upwards. A cloaked figure was floating on a magic circle of some sort near the ceiling. I walked towards the armchair and took a seat. Next to the armchair was a small round table with another wand on it. Being the naturally curious person I was, I reached out for it. I mean what could go wrong? As my fingers neared the wand, I immediately felt a static shock that felt almost like frying my fingers had I not pulled my hand away.
*BANG* You have just lost 100 HP!
I let out a rather audible gasp, which did not go unnoticed. ''A rather inquisitive one, huh? Excellent for studying and learning hidden secrets, but fatal for a fool who does not learn how to protect himself.'' Said the same voice earlier, but much softer and less echoes. That was because the speaker had suddenly materialised on the armchair right next to me! Seriously, can mages really teleport around just like that? Like so effortlessly? I turned my head to study the figure. He was rather short for an Elf, and to be honest, he looked so frail that a punch looked enough to kill him. ''I know I am not much to look at, but I can assure you my HP is nearly 30,000, and I can easily cast shields on myself that block up to 100,000 damage, so don''t even try.'' He said seriously, as though reading my thoughts. I must have looked pretty sombre, and he laughed. ''Sorry, I did not really mean to be this hostile. Well, let me introduce myself proper then. I am Ghanda the Really Old, as what the dear Elves calls me. I am an archmage, and the head of the Grand Enchantium below. The library assistant, whom you met earlier, is Leyla and she used to be my apprentice until she has learnt all she wanted to know. Now she just helps me manage the Enchantium.'' He then summoned a crystal ball, and as I looked at it, I could see the Enchantium within! It was like watching a surveillance camera. ''I have been watching you as you passed each and every single trial. I must say, you really surprised both me and Leyla here. We have not met anyone who passed all our tests.'' So this old fart was the one that was spying on me all the while! ''You have shown great fortitude and determination. Many hopefuls like yourself have hoped to see me to take on my apprenticeship, but both Leyla and I knew that only a person of great aptitude can become not just a mage, BUT the mage. Of course, Leyla and myself have ventured far into the path of the magi, and we both found secrets that no other mage has found. I can offer to teach you basic magic all mages will know, as well as magic that nobody else knows. Do you want to become my apprentice?'' He finished.
[p=center]Quest Completed! You have managed to see the archmage and he is impressed by what you have done so far! Rewards : +1000 XP , + 5 Intelligence, + 5 Wisdom[/p]
Sweet! I immediately reached level 5, and I received stat gains as well! Those 3 days I spent cooped up in the library was worth it.
[p=center]Quest Received! The archmage offers you his apprenticeship! During this time, you are to listen to his instructions. Will you take it? Difficulty : D You will receive a new class : Mage Failure : You will immediately lose your apprenticeship, and the archmage will never grant you audience again.[/p]
A class in RED! This means that if I complete his training, I will immediately receive a new class! Possibly one of the hidden class from the looks of it! ''Yes. I will become your apprentice, Master Ghanda.'' I promptly replied.
You have accepted the quest!
Class Change : You are now a Mage
''Right. To begin your training, I am going to teach you two new spells. Given your Intelligence level, this is extremely possible. Without those readings you did, this would have been impossible. The two spells are Fire Strike and Ice Bolt. I want you to practise your spells on this training dummy here until they are both level 5. I will also bestow on you a buff to increase your learning speed. Why spend more time than you actually need to? Now, begin!''
[p=center]Gained new spells : Fire Strike and Ice Bolt Fire Strike Beginner Level 1. 0% Shoots a fireball. Single target only. Manacost : 50 Ice Bolt Beginner Level 1. 0% Shoots an icebolt. Single target only. Manacost : 50[/p]
[p=center]Gained buff : Ghanda''s Mighty Buff You have been buffed by Ghanda the Really Old! All skills will be mastered 25% faster during this buff! Duration : Buff will end when you exit Ghanda''s chamber.[/p]
Ghanda smiled, and just vanished. Excited to begin, I immediately turned to face the dummy. Hands facing the dummy, I shouted. ''Cast Fire Strike!'' A fireball materialised in my palms and I released them at the dummy. It caught fire, but the fire died almost immediately. ''Open skill window : Fire Strike!''
[p=center]Fire Strike Beginner Level 1. 15% Shoots a fireball. Single target only. Manacost : 50[/p]
A whopping 15% increase to expertise level just by casting a single Fire Strike?! Ghanda''s buff is really handy. I quickly cast more Fire Strikes at the dummy in succession. ''Cast Fire Strike!'' ''Cast Fire Strike!'' ''Cast Fire Strike!''... This went on till the skill leveled up.
[p=center]Leveled up : Fire Strike Beginner Level 2. 0% Deals 10% more damage.[/p]
I continued casting until my mana ran out. Then Ghanda''s voice reverberated in the chamber again. ''Ran out of mana? Simple. Drink from the mana spring. Your mana will be restored in no time!'' I turned around and looked for the spring. I found it next to a statue of a beautiful Elven woman. As I refilled my canteen from my inventory with the mana water, I read the description on the statue.
[p=center]Statue of Liesa ''There was never a woman more beautiful than she was. She was once the Lieutenant-Ranger of the Moondori Royales, the elite squad of guards that protected the Priestess of the Night Elves. Her bow shot true and powerful, including the love arrow that she fired at my heart. Then one day, while she was escorting the Priestess to a peace meeting with the dwarves, they were attacked. She held the assassins off, while the Priestess managed to escape. It is said that she gave her life while carrying out her duty. Never once has she left my heart, and I will forever remember the day she left me for the last time. She is Liesa.''[/p] [p=right]-Ghanda[/p]
My heart went out for the poor guy. Even though they are NPCs, but in this virtual world, their emotions are very real. Sometimes, even a virtual love like the one between Ghanda and his wife can be more real than the love between couples in reality. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. I drank from my canteen, and to my surprise, the mana water tasted like a very interesting mix of fruit! I suppose the Mana Addiction trait of the High Elves enhances the taste as well as the effects of such mana regenerating items. My mana instantly refilled, and I started my training with the dummy again. When my Fire Strike leveled up to level 3, the dummy began to morph as I struck it with fireballs. As my Fire Strikes landed, it promptly changed to a fire figure, thus absorbing my Fire Strikes. I realised this must have been something Ghanda came up with in order for higher levels of spells to advance. Hitting a solid dummy all the time with spells can increase its expertise level, but it grows less effective. This time however, it seems I have to find a weak spot on the dummy in order to hit effectively. Eventually, my Fire Strike leveled up to level 5. Rather satisfied, I opened up the skill window to check the skill.
[p=center]Fire Strike Beginner Level 5. 2% Shoots 3 fireballs, or 1 single combined firebolt at the enemy. Single target only. 20% chance an additional fireball will be released. Additional Benefit : deals +10% damage Manacost : 25[/p]
It seems as I level up the skill, the skill gets stronger. Not to mention the manacost is also lowered. I decided to train on Ice Bolt tomorrow, and I logged out. Stepping out of the capsule back in the real world, I reached out for my phone next to my bed. Opening up the Whatsapp app I have on my phone, I realised my friends have been communicating a lot in our group chat while I was in RoyalRoad.
Benedict : HOLYSHIT THIS GAME IS FREAKING AWESOME! LOL. I JUST KILLED A RABBIT. WITH MY SWORD. You guys in yet? Bastard Julius must have switched off his Whispering or something. I can''t private message him! Jay : Yep, I''m in. I''m a level 18 druid. It''s so fun! I can change into a wolf and go around slashing stuff! And I run like the wind too! Keith : Aww. You guys decided your classes already? I''m still undecided. I''m thinking of becoming a paladin, but shucks. I don''t believe in God or some shit. Or maybe I''ll be a shaman. Wait. WTF. Jay, did you just say you''re level 18?! How did you level up so fast?! Jay : Just keep doing quests? I don''t know. Basically, I got into a party then we did hunting quests together around town. You guys didn''t check the sewers? There''s loads of level 10 monsters there. Me : Hi guys. I just logged out. You guys all chose Human? Lol. I chose Elf instead. Jay : HEY JULIUS IS BACK! Whut. Why did you choose Elf? Lol. There are hardly any starting guides online for Elf on the Internet, you know. Your starting capital is some forest right? How''s it like? Me : It''s brilliant. Yeah, I know. That''s why I wanted to try it. ''Cos it''ll be more fun that way, right? You guys can''t leave town yet right? Keith : Hey Julius! Yeah, our 4 weeks aren''t up yet. We''ll meet up once those 4 weeks are over, alright? Keith : Oh by the way, just to let you know, Ju, I did more snooping and found out that all the Beta accounts were wiped. They made the decision ''cos it''ll be unfair for the new players if high level players are running around killing mobs and stuff. So yeah, you know what that means... Me : Woah. You mean Vanessa has to start all over? Not bad, at least now we''re on even ground. Keith : Yeah, but she''s an experienced player still. Meaning she knows the tips and tricks to level up. Plus, she might be more proficient than us, so you never know. Me : Yeah, maybe. Alright. I''m going to sleep. Cya guys! Keith: Yeah, cya! Jay : WTF. When will you stop snooping? Yeah, cya Ju! 5 minutes later in the chatgroup... Benedict : HEY WTF? JU, YOU WERE ON YOUR PHONE?
Next morning, I immediately logged into Royal Road again. Ghanda was nowhere to be found. But the dummy was still there. I immediately continued with my training. This time, when my Ice Bolt hit level 3, the dummy morphed like before, but it became an ice figure instead. Man, Ghanda really isn''t a simple old man. After about 3 hours game time, I leveled up Ice Bolt to level 5 as well. ''Open skill window : Ice Bolt!''
[p=center]Ice Bolt Beginner Level 5. 2% Shoots 3 ice bolts, or 1 single combined ice shard at the enemy. Single target only. 20% chance to stun the enemy. Additional Benefit : deals +10% damage Manacost : 25[/p]
This time, however, Ghanda didn''t appear. Leyla appeared instead. She was, as usual, with her papers. And her glasses revealed that all too familiar glint. ''Ghanda wants you to try out your skills on actual foes. Take this portstone, use it, and it will teleport you to a tree dungeon. Clear all the foes inside, and another portstone will appear in your inventory. Use it to get back here. Good luck!'' She handed me a stone with weird symbols engraved into it. It seemed to be runes somehow. I looked up, and she was gone. ''Use portstone!'' I shouted. Immediately, I felt the sensation of teleporting. It wasn''t really comfortable to be honest. The place I was in now looked like a dungeon alright. It was more like a cavern where there were walls made up of tree stalk. There only one way forward so I began walking. I met my first foe at a crossroad. It was a treant, slightly taller than me. Treants were moderately weak monsters, plus I had a level 5 Fire Strike spell at my side. This should be a piece of cake. ''Cast Fire Strike!'' The familiar sensation of intense heat built up in my hands, and three fireballs were formed. I shot all three at the treant.
[p=center]CRITICAL HIT![/p]
The treant went down almost immediately. I looted the treant, and found only green moss. Hardly valuable at all. I ignored the loot and continued walking. This time, I met 3 treants. However, they saw me first, and charged at me on their spindly legs. ''Cast Fire Strike!'' ''Cast Fire Strike!'' On the second Strike, an additional fireball was released, killing the treant. Without a critical hit, it took two Fire Strikes to take out a single treant. I proceeded to attack the other two treants as well. I lost some HP as I could not take them out fast enough. It couldn''t be helped. I looted the treants and found a magician''s glove, amongst the moss. I equipped it on and found it to give additional 5 Intelligence. As I slowly cleared the dungeon, I had to stop and wait twice for my mana to regenerate even after finish my entire canteen of mana water. Being a mage really used up a lot of mana. After clearing about 50 treants, I was already at level 10. And my Fire Strike had reached level 7. Then I heard a great growl. It seemed the boss monster had appeared. And to my horror, it was a giant treant that was 4 times as tall as I was! It looked at me with its mean little eyes and seemed to be taunting me. I checked my HP and mana. All was good. I was ready to take on the boss. I immediately attacked it with Flame Strike, but the boss seemed unfazed. And I didn''t realise it was also casting a spell. I felt something slimy trapping my legs and I looked down. Crap! I was ensnared by the treant boss'' Entagling Root spell! Slowly, I felt my HP draining. The boss took this chance to strike. It hit me with a punch that really hurt! I took a whopping 150 damage! My maximum health was only 550 at that point, so 150 damage was quite a lot. I had to act fast. Recalling I had Luminous Light, I cast it and looked away while flaring it so bright that the treant boss was blinded. While it was dazed, I cast Fire Strike on the roots eating away at my health. The roots died, and I was free finally! I took many steps back and considered my options. I knew the boss was tough, but it had to have a critical spot, just like the training dummy. I observed the treant and realised that its thick bark did not protect its eyes. All I had to do was aim at its eyes, but with the boss moving about so much, it was difficult to aim. I have to immobilise it first. ''Cast Ice Bolt!'' No effect. ''Cast Ice Bolt!'' Again, no effect. And the treant boss was slowly getting back its vision. It was enraged, meaning it dealt 20% more damage now! ''Cast Ice Bolt!'' Lucky hit! The 20% chance of stunning the target came into effect! I took this chance while the boss was stunned to rain its eyes with Fire Strikes. After an onslaught of Fire Strikes, the treant boss finally gave a groan and collapsed.
[p=center]You have leveled up![/p]
[p=center]You have leveled up![/p]
I took a deep breath and sat down. My mana was almost empty. Fortunately, most of my Fire Strikes generated enough extra fireballs to finish off the boss. Ghanda really isn''t just a simple old man... [p=center]Next Chapter?[/p] Spell 03 : The Mind Spell 03 : The Mind I stifled a yawn as I finished putting back the tomes back to the shelf. The library was usually quiet during this period. Ghanda was still away, and I practically had nothing much to do while he was gone. I have not seen him ever since I cleared that tree dungeon a few days ago. Before he left, he taught me a new spell, Barrier, that could absorb damage up to a certain threshold before it shatters, and told me to raise it up a few levels by the time I see him again. With the help of the training dummy (Ghanda somehow managed to rig it to shoot fireballs whenever I stood in front of it), I got my Barrier spell up to level 5 as well. Since then, it stopped functioning. With nothing else left to do, I used a portstone to materialize in the ground floor of the Enchantium, right next to Leyla''s desk. Leyla suggested that I should go explore the forest a little, and learn as much as I can about things I may not be able to pick up in the Enchantium. She also told me to consider picking up a craft skill, which would greatly aid me in time to come. Even without her mentioning it to me, I was already putting some thought to the idea of getting a craft skill. But the question is, which one? There are so many craft skills available, and none of them have actually been thoroughly explored yet. Even people who chose the crafting professions have barely broke through the advanced levels of crafting. And so, for the first time in 2 weeks, I stepped out of the Enchantium. I headed towards Veldrassil, where trade was most abundant. Because of the growing popularity of the area, there was a tax imposed on all vendors who decided to set up shop there by the Council. This was to keep the area from overpopulating with stalls and vendors. When I reached Veldrassil, I began to question Leyla''s concept of ''not so busy today''. Clearly, she did not visit Veldrassil much as well. The entire tree was bustling with activities. Even its branches were not spared. As I walked, I noticed the people here were of all races. It seems travellers all around the continent came here to purchase Elven wares. It was a widely acclaimed fact that only the Elves appreciated artistry more so than any other race. Even the simplest of wares like quills had embroidery on them. I walked along the path, trying to find anything that would pique my interest. It looks like I would probably pick up a craft skill here more related to vanity-related items... Feeling thirsty, I decided to go refill my canteen from a nearby spring. Even though I had 5 pieces of gold for clearing the dungeon, I wasn''t about to go splurging unnecessarily on scented dews that were the common thirst-quenchers here. I sat down on a bench made up entirely of tree vines and watched the activities with hardly any interest. This felt like another day going to waste. I heard sobbing nearby and I looked towards the noise. I saw a young Night Elf girl walking slowly along, with her hands cupping her eyes while she bawls them out. Thinking that she might have lost her parents, I walked up to her. ''Hey, little Elf, what''s the matter?'' I asked. She stopped crying and looked up, clearly a little afraid of this strange High Elf talking to her. ''P-Papa told m-me to l-l-look after the stall while h-he was g-gone. B-but I-I''m just a little girl. I c-couldn''t stop those devilish i-imps!'' she said, in between sobs. ''What imps? What did they do to you? Tell me, so that I can make the situation better.'' ''T-they took almost everything! P-Papa is g-going to b-b-be so angry!'' She started crying again. People nearby were giving us stares, and I knew I had to do something to make her stop crying. Or else I''ll have a lot of explaining to do to the guards if they come. ''Look, little Elf. I''ll help you get back your papa''s items. Come, can you show me where I can find those imps? But you have to promise me you''ll stop crying!'' I said to her reassuringly. ''R-really? Okay! I will stop crying! Will you really help me?'' She said, sobering up. *DING*
[p=center]Quest Received! You met a crying Elf girl, and she told you her father''s stall got raided by imps. You have to get back the items that the imps stole. Do you accept? Difficulty : F Yes | No[/p]
''I accept.''
[p=center]Quest Accepted![/p]
''This way!'' she said, and ran off towards an overgrowth nearby. I followed closely behind, keeping up with her. Eventually, I was brought to the entrance of a den. She stopped right there and pointed into the hole. ''They should be in here somewhere! All the imps are found here!'' I assumed from here on out I was alone. I told her to stay there, and I walked in. There was hardly any light present. ''Cast Luminous Light!'' ''Cast Barrier!'' I could see clearly into the den now. Having shields up is paramount when adventuring into unknown areas, especially when one is adventuring alone. It could be the difference between life and death when an enemy springs a surprise attack. However, I was not really worried; tree imps in this region were of low levels. To be honest, there wasn''t really anything they could throw at me that could hurt. But, just in case. The den was not dug in too deep, and eventually I found my first foes. Those devilish creatures were small and looked weak, but they had sharp claws that could tear your eyes out if you weren''t careful. Still, there was nothing they could do against my magic. Two Fire Strikes were enough to get rid of them. However, they weren''t the imps who took the girl''s items. As I continued venturing into the den, I met more and more imps. None of them had the wares on their bodies. Finally, I came across a trio of imps that seemed meaner and stronger. These imps must have leveled up and grown stronger from conducting successful thefts from unsuspecting vendors. When they saw me, two of them charged while one stood behind and seemed to be looking for something in its leather bag. I let loose a bunch of Frost Bolts and Fire Strikes on the two. Thanks to the bonus Intelligence I gained from my earlier exploits, my spells tend to hit true even when the Imps had rather high Evasiveness. The two Imps had their last breaths, and collapsed on the floor. Then, something exploded in the air about a hair''s length away from my head, and I felt my Barrier broke. I turned to look at the last Imp, and saw him lighting a flask. From the looks of it, this Imp had some nasty flask-bombs! It threw the one in its hand at me, and I ducked just in time. Wasting no time, it started to light another flask. However, I was one step ahead of it. I quickly took aim, and cast a Fire Strike not at the Imp itself, but at the flask it was holding. Well, you can pretty much guess what happened after that. Naturally, it got blown to bits, and I proceeded to check on their bodies. Sure enough, I found the missing wares. There were many lumps of precious metals and a few other rather crudely-cut gems. So the girl''s father is a jewel-crafter huh... Maybe I should go find her father and see if I can learn something. I gathered up the items, and headed for the exit. The girl was outside, waiting patiently for me to return. ''Here you are, little girl.'' I said, handing her a bag with her father''s gems inside. ''Oh thank you, big brother!'' She squealed, and slid on the bag.
[p=center]Quest Completed! You have not only gotten back the gems, but you have also gotten rid of the pesky thieves that constantly harasses the vendors! Reward : +350 XP, + 50 Fame[/p]
With that XP, I leveled up. ''Hey, little Elf, do you want to go home now? I will protect you and your father''s gems on the way home!'' I requested. ''Sure!'' She replied. And thus we set off, towards her home. The Night Elves, as I found out later, lived in harmony with the High Elves up here. Though Elves by nature, all the different elves considered themselves as different sub-races. The Wood Elves decided to live in the roots of the forest because they took it upon themselves to protect the trees from monsters that are constantly preying on the nutrients found in the roots of the trees. The Night Elves lived mostly in the alcoves within the trees that they have built themselves, and like the name given to their race, were typically more active at night. However, to deal with the surge of foreign traders, they were forced to adapt and work during the day. Most still continued to come out in the night though. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. I followed the little Night Elf, and eventually we reached yet another gigantic tree. This one, I suspected based on the number of clothes-vines that hung tunics and blouses, was probably a resident tree. The sign near the entrance read ''Plumdrassil''. I took a moment to take it all in, and followed the girl inside. Strong smells of honey-scented dews assaulted my sense of smell immediately. It was like a mini-cave that had many entrances to different alcoves. These were all homes to the citizen Night Elves here. There was hardly any activity going on, seeing that it was right in the afternoon now. ''Over here!'' She said, next to an opening with pretty vines made up of mint leaves hanging all over it. In we went, and I saw a rather nicely-decorated home. There was a terrace on top that was open to the outside of the tree. Everywhere I saw were furniture made of oak. One thing I noticed about Elven furniture was that they never seem to be made. They were more like... Grown. One thing for sure, there were no traces of glue or screws being used. Everything was connected perfectly. ''Well, you''re finally home. I was worried when I found the stall unmanned and went around searching for you. Luckily Enthaius closed the stall for us when he saw no one near it. What''s the matter? Did you cry?'' A male voice entered the room. I looked around, and saw a middle-aged Night Elf standing next to the kitchen caressing the little Night Elf girl''s hair. ''Now, dry your eyes and go to bed. We have to re-open the stall later again.'' He said to her, and she trotted back to her room. ''Sorry for all this. Were you the one who brought her back? Did she cause any trouble?'' The male Elf said to me. I shook my head, and told him the entire story. ''Wow, thank you so much! If I knew the Imps would even dare to attack in broad daylight, I would never have left her to tend the stall! I was just coming back here to get more crafting materials... Is there anything I can do for you in return?'' ''Well, there is actually. I believe you are a jewel-crafter? Is it possible for you to teach me jewel-crafting?'' I replied earnestly. ''You want to learn the craft? Sure! Why not? It is not everyday I get to teach someone how to craft jewels. But I have to warn you. This craft skill is fruitful with its rewards, but its fatalities for failure is also tremendous. What I mean to say is that while you may be able to craft valuable gems of exquisiteness and great value, should you cut a gem a fracture too much, not only will the gem become useless and you suffer a loss, you will also lose your hard-earned reputation. It is not an easy profession to pick up. Do you still want to learn Jewel-crafting?'' He said, with seriousness in his tone. ''I accept.'' *DING*
[p=center]Gained new Craft skill : Jewel-crafting Jewel-crafting Beginner Level 1. 0% You are able to cut glass into simple shapes.[/p]
''Normally, all beginner Jewellers would start off with an engraving knife to cut glass, but since you''re learning from me, I have a secret technique for magic users like you. I believe you are familiar with Enchanting?'' He asked. I nodded. It was a common skill picked up by most magic users. Basically, it involves casting permanent enhancements to equipment to give buffs or other forms of enhancements. It was something definitely good to have. ''Well, Enchanting involves recreating certain parts of the item and introducing foreign matter to make it stronger or to entice it to give the user more benefits. It is the simple molding and re-molding of an item with the heavy use of magic. Using the same concept, I have devised a secret technique. To use basic Enchanting to mold the glass or metal into the shapes of gems that we want! Imagine not having to spend so much effort perilously shaving glass just to get a round shape. With magic, you can reshape gemstones with your will.'' He finished, giving me a wink.
[p=center]Gained new Craft skill : Enchanting Enchanting Beginner Level 1. 0% You are able to enchant vests to give small buffs. You are also able to reshape certain objects.[/p]
This was good news indeed! To be able to learn not just one, but two craft skills just from this NPC is an occasion too rare to be true! Not only that, both are profession skills that will aid me in my magic casting. I can create gems that have innate magical abilities to be socketed into my armor, as well as buff up my equipment with relevant enchants! This was turning out to be a pretty fruitful day afterall. Just then I heard a message in my mind. ''Crow, I am back. Return to my chamber at once. I have something new to teach you.'' It was the voice of Ghanda summoning back to his chamber. Well, it would not do to disobey possibly the best mage in the world. ''I am truly grateful for the skills you have granted me. Regrettably, I wish to stay and learn some more, but I have business elsewhere. I am thankful for your hospitality.'' I said, rather much too humbly for my own liking. However, the Night Elf seem to took it all in. Well, they were once noble beings afterall... ''Your polite manners have pleased me greatly! Here, take these few pieces of glass to work with. I''m sure you will be a master Jeweller and Enchanter in no time! Oh, and my name is Lithus. Do come by my shop sometime!'' He said. *DING*
[p=center]Obtained Items : 10 Medium Glass[/p]
Saying my thanks, I ran back to the Enchantium. When I opened the doors to Ghanda''s chamber, I immediately saw the old man peering deeply into his scrying sphere. Seriously, when will this old man stop spying on people? If he weren''t such a high leveled archmage, I might have believed he''s Keith in disguise... Ghanda cleared his voice, and said, ''so what did you manage to find today, young apprentice?'' "I managed to learn two professions, Master Ghanda. Jewel-crafting and Enchanting, sir, from a rather interesting Night Elf, though I suspect you already knew that.'' I said. ''Ah, impertinent as always. I was merely looking out for your safety. The creation of ornaments and socketable gems, as well as the mystical enhancing art of enchanting. You have chosen well, apprentice.'' ''Now, on to business. I believed you have kept up on your training?'' He asked. I nodded, and proceeded to bring up my Barrier. He considered my Barrier for a moment, then flicked a casual lightning bolt at my Barrier like he was shooting a fly, instantly zapping my Barrier! Surprisingly enough, I received no damage. ''Excellent. I am confident you are ready to begin your next phase of training. From now on, I will begin to teach you magic that no other mage knows. Are you ready for this?'' He asked, with a twinkle in his eyes. Am I ready? He''s gotta be kidding me! ''Absolutely ready, Master.'' I replied. ''Fine. Then we shall begin on our first Forgotten Magic, which was once commonly known as... Mana Manifest.'' [p=center]Next Chapter?[/p] Spell 04 : The Mastery Spell 04 : The Mastery ''Mana Manifest?'' I said. It doesn''t sound very powerful... ''Magic does not have a form. It bends and shapes itself according to how its user controls it. You are able to create a ball of fire because you WILL it to be a ball of fire. However, there are still the fundamental laws of magic that people have long ignored, and have eventually forgotten. The very first rule that one should always remember is that magic and mana are nothing without each other. You are unable to control magic without mana, and likewise, mana without magic. What this also means is that one will be used at the expense of the other. The more magic you use, the more mana you consume.'' He paused, and then continued. ''The significance of this is that you, as a mage, are able to manifest your spells. In other words, you can channel your mana into your spells to make them more potent. Not all spells can be manifested, of course, while there are others that, if manifested, will become too unstable for even the mage himself to control. That also means there is a limit to the mana you should channel into increasing the potency of your spell.'' He finished. ''So this means that instead of just casting my spells blindly, I can actually hold them in, and cast them out stronger?'' I said. ''Yes. Now, try casting your Fire Strike, but do not release the spell. Feel it at your fingertips, and do not let the spell go.'' He said. *DING*
[p=center]Gained new ability : Mana Manifest Mana Manifest Beginner Level 1 . 0% Channel your spells to make them stronger for twice of the mana-cost. Mana Cost : Zero (Passive)[/p]
''Cast Fire Strike!'' The familiar warm sensation built up around my fingers, and almost immediately, three fire balls appeared. However, instead of letting them fly out, I held onto the flames. ''Good. Now, feel the flow of mana within your body and allow it to channel into your spell. Let the flames go when you feel the spell getting hard to control.'' said Ghanda. I did as he said, concentrating on the flow of mana in my body. It felt like encouraging the flow of river with my mind. Slowly, I could feel the three fire balls between my palms grow bigger. The heat slowly intensified too. I could feel the power of the magic growing stronger because of me. It was exhilarating. I could feel it. The spell was getting stronger to the point that it was not going to obey my will. Immediately, I let it go. And I realised only too late my aim wasn''t at the dummy, but at Ghanda himself! But of course, a novice''s spell was no match for him. He immediately reflected the spell back at me! I couldn''t raise a shield in time and took direct hits! It was a whopping 400 damage combined! Usually, my Fire Strikes could only hit for 250, and 350 at most if it were a critical hit. But I just too 400 damage from my own spell! The effects of Mana Manifest are really crazy! ''It is never an excuse for a mage to lose control of either himself or his spells! Always remember to control your emotions! That serves as a warning to you.'' He reprimanded. ''Sorry, sir. I will be more careful next time.'' I replied sheepishly. ''I have a question to ask though, sir, if you don''t mind. If Mana Manifest is so powerful, how could it go forgotten? I mean, surely mages will make use of this to empower their spells, right?'' I continued asking. ''A valid point. However, like I said, Mana Manifest is a dangerous ability to have, if you do not know how to control your own magic. It was commonly used in ancient history, but more often than no, mages got themselves killed for pouring too much mana into their spells. Or that they lose the ability to guide their mana flow and eventually drained themselves out of mana, getting themselves killed by others in duels or by monsters. The Order of Magi, a ruling council of mages, decided to ban the use of it and decimated all records of Mana Manifest, in a bid to protect all mages from getting themselves killed in future.'' ''But I, I survived to tell the tale of it. And that is why I still know of it, and can impart it to you. You can consider a secret ability today, for I believe that are not many still standing today who know of it. Use this ability wisely, and do not walk the footsteps of the mages before. As your ability to grasp Mana Manifest grows stronger, you''ll find that you need less additional mana to channel into your spells to make them stronger.'' He finished gravely. The moment he said that, I could not grasp how lucky I was to be able to learn such a fine ability! True, I might have to take a while to channel spells and may get assaulted during that time, but as long as I can get a good vantage point to cast spells, I can definitely turn the tide of battle to my favour with Mana Manifest! ''Now, I do have another thing to teach you before I teach you the final step of becoming a particular magician class, but first, I need you to secure something. It is a quest I set to no other, but my own apprentice, which is none other than you. Go find Leyla, and tell her I sent you to procure the Codex.'' He said, dismissing me with his hand.
[p=center]Quest Received! You have been sent by Ghanda to procure a particular Codex of some sort. Do you accept? Quest Difficulty : D Yes | No[/p]
''Yes, master. I''ll go find her rightaway.'' I said.
[p=center]Quest Accepted![/p]
With that, I took a portstone from the nearby table and used it. (The previous portstone disappeared after use.) Almost a split second later, I found myself in the Enchantium again. Leyla was at her desk, and well... Clipping her nails. ''What?'' She said, revealing a slight hint of embarassment in her tone. Clearly, clipping nails wasn''t really approved in the library, but she''s doing it anyway. ''Ghanda sent me here to look for you. He wants me to find a Codex. Do you know where I can find it?'' I asked. ''Yes, of course. Follow me.'' She got up, and started moving to the back of the library. I followed after her brisk pace, wondering what was in store for me. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. The truth is, this was probably the first time I''m tackling a D level quest. By myself, I might not be able to complete this quest. At the back of the library were a set of metallic doors that were locked. Probably by enchantments, since there were no keyholes nor were there any visible locks. And I was right. She looked at the doors for a brief moment, and then placed her hand near the door. I could hear her mumble something, and a soft glow formed around her hands. Metallic gears started to grind and strange clicking sounds could be heard as she shifted her hand downwards slowly. The moment her hand reached the middle, something clicked into place and the doors started to open, revealing a set of stairs that went down. ''Before you enter the basement, I have to warn you. What you will face in the basement downstairs are foes a lot stronger than the treants you faced previously. The Codex is below, guarded by beings known as the Forgotten Ones. They may have been trapped there for decades, but they are still sentient beings. When threathened, they will still attack. From here on, you are on your own. Good luck.'' Leyla said, stepping aside to let me through. Feeling a moment of dread, I descended down the steps. ''Cast Luminous Light!'' It was like an underground labyrinth made up of shelves that was damp, dark and cold. There was no light at all. It was typical of a search and locate quest for something like this to be the quest location. So this is the cellar of the library. Looks like the secrets of the library, like this Codex, can be found here... I reached the bottom of the stairs, and continued walking forward. All the shelves were lined up nicely, shelf to shelf. Suddenly, I heard a sound next to me. I turned slowly and looked through the empty bookshelf. And I daresay I saw the ugliest creature ever possible. It was a monster without a face. Its head was just a single eyeball mounted on a neck that was horizontally attached to a body that was partly ethereal, and emitting black smoke. It had tiny claws for hands, and in its body where the chest should be was a large mouth of some sort. It was a terrifying sight to behold. I held my breath. Being discovered by these creatures would not end up well. The creature continued to glide down the passageway, apparently not noticing its neighbor, which was me. Luckily, I kept the Luminous Light at a minimal glow, or else the creature would have probably seen me. When I was sure it was gone, I continued walking. However, luck was not with me all the way. I crossed one of the creature''s path, and I had no choice but to attack. It was a tough fight, because the creature was constantly shifting in and out of existence. Nothing could hit it when it shifted out of reality. It also had this annoying ability that extinguishes my vision for a short while. ''Cast Fire Strike!'' Using Mana Manifest, I managed to hold onto the spell. Attacking the Forgotten Ones requires precise timing. The creature turns corporeal whenever it attacks with a breath of black fog, and that was the time when I had to strike. Waiting for it to turn corporeal seemed to take forever, and I could feel myself losing control of my spell. Finally, it opened its mouth, and I immediately released the spell, feeling the air itself burning where the flames travelled. It was a direct hit! Furthermore, the flames seemed to ignite whatever poison gases that was in the Forgotten One''s body. The creature exploded!
[p=center]Critical Hit![/p]
However, it was not the time to rejoice. Unfortunately for me, the creature met its demise rather noisily. It roared and screamed in agony, which pretty much alerted all the other Forgotten Ones. And I could almost sense all the other creatures coming towards my location. It would be a bad idea to stay, so I pretty much ran for it. A creature at a time, I could deal with. But surrounded with so many ethereal creatures would pretty much get me slaughtered. As I ran, I stumbled onto a few of the Forgotten. Some I managed to subdue, the rest I side-stepped and continued running. After killing 6 more monsters, I leveled up. With no end in mind, I just kept running and turning right at crossroads. I could almost feel the creatures catching up to me. With their ethereal forms, they could easily glide through the bookcases. At last, I reached the heart of the labyrinth. From what I could see, the bookshelves here were all stocked with numerous copies of the same tomes. I heard deep breathing behind me and I turned around. Close to 50 creatures were gathered together. And they were all eyeing the same thing. The tome in my hand. Then I remembered something Leyla said to me. These creatures were guardians of the Codex. Oh shit... The creatures roared with anger and they charged as one! Panic coursed through me as I looked around for a means to escape. The abandoned scrolls on the floor gave me an idea. ''Cast Fire Strike!'' I aimed at the floor. A blaze ran across the floor, and all the scrolls on the floor caught fire! This formed a wall of fire between me and the creatures. However I knew this was just a temporary measure. I have to find something... And the Forgotten were getting over their shock and were all turning ethereal to cross the fire. Almost as if my prayer was answered, I noticed a table nearby with a portstone on it! Immediately, I rushed forward and grabbed it! As if time slowed, I saw the creatures at the corner of my eye opening their maws, with dark mist pouring out. I hurriedly channeled magic into the stone, and I felt the familiar sensation of flying through space. The dark breaths swarmed the spot I was just at, a second too late. I was back in the Enchantium again, with my heart beating loudly and rapidly. Leyla looked up, and smiled. ''So, it looks like you survived. I did not, when I went down myself the first time.'' That old fart probably didn''t expect me to survive either! [p=center]Next Chapter?[/p] Spell 05 : The Incatations Spell 05 : The Incatations ''I see you have managed to obtain the Codex. That is admirable, to say the least.'' The moment I pushed open the gigantic doors, I could hear his voice already. And, sure enough, Ghanda was waiting in the center of the chamber, with his hands at his back. ''Yes, master. And might I add, I nearly almost died. Would it not be a stroke of luck, I probably would not be able to stand here now.'' I said with a voice full of resentment. ''Apprentice, as you should have realised by now, you chose a path not sought by others the moment you stepped into this chamber. Were it as easy as what most other juvenile mages are doing to learn simple magics, I would have taken in more students. You have shown apt, and a strong determination to succeed. You have to realise, your path is much more dangerous than your other peers. You subdue dangers they can only hope to conquer. That is because you are different. And I, I have shown you different.'' Ghanda finished. I bit back a retort. I knew Ghanda was right. Though the trials he set for me are always dangerous and that the difficulty level always precedes the previous, Ghanda has always equipped me with the skills I needed to overcome those trials. And while I have always been focusing on clearing quests, I have neglected the fact that I was, in fact, progressing much faster than other mage character classes. It was all thanks to Ghanda. ''Now, I sent you to retrieve the Codex because it is rightfully yours to keep. It is to you, as a mage, like what water is to fish. Without a Codex, a mage of a higher order is unable to manage his spell library properly. As you become stronger, you will learn many new spells. It will not do for you to forget the spells you learnt. Also, since the Codex will never run out of pages, you are able to learn an unlimited number of spells. While other mages are hindered by their amount of Wisdom and Intelligence, you will always learn a spell whenever a situation arises to allow you to do so. I now bestow upon you, your very own Codex.'' *DING*
[p=center]Quest Completed! You have braved the dangerous guardians of the Enchantium''s basement, and escaped barely with the Codex in your hand! You are, without a doubt, Ghanda''s apprentice! Rewards : Your own Codex, +5 Intelligence, +5 Wisdom, +50 Fame[/p]
''I have been holding back myself from teaching you the two other laws of magic because I did not think you were ready then. However, you have come today with your very own Codex. You have proven to me that you are ready to learn the two laws and that I must not delay your training any further. Now listen up! This next law is crucial if you want to survive in this continent!'' Ghanda said, with a fierce look in his eye. I leaned in and listened earnestly. This must be pretty good. ''How does one prevent a mage, or any other magic user, from casting spells? Simple. There are two ways. One is, you eliminate the magic user''s mana. You prevent the magic user from drawing from his mana pool, and therein prevent him from casting spells. The other way is to silence the magic user. When one is unable to chant the incantations of his spells, it is believed one is unable to cast the spell.'' ''However, such a belief is wrong. You must never forget how one uses magic. It is by the magician''s WILL, and not his WORDS, that magic is cast. Shouting the incantations of a spell only serves to ease the load of a magician''s mind by giving the magician''s mind a break by giving another bodily function to express the will to cast the spell. As a result, many magicians have thus grown completely reliant on their sense of speech to aid them in casting spells, and when silenced, are unable to concentrate using their minds to cast the same spell without muttering incantations. I have unlocked the ability in you to cast spells while being unable to speak. Try it, and see.'' I tried to ask Ghanda something, but to my surprise, I could not talk! My lips were forming the words I wanted to say, but there was only silence! So I all have to do is to formulate the incatation in my head, and will the spell to be formed? Sounds pretty simple to me. And so I tried. Well, for half an hour I tried until I finally managed to form an Ice Bolt in my palms without saying anything. I also gained 5 Concentration stats after I managed to form the spell. Excited by what I just did, I tried casting my other spells in succession. I also gained 5 Concentration stats for each new spell I managed to form. It was slightly easier to cast the subsequent spell as my Concentration stats had improved. From then on, I realised Concentration helps to improve silent spell-casting. Feeling satisfied with myself, I logged out. Ghanda promised to unveil the last law when he came back, so I pretty much had nothing to do in the game now. I sat on the sofa in my room, and checked my phone for any messages. Other than the random spam mails I''ve received, there wasn''t really anything else that was worth reading. Then, I saw a mail that caught my eye. The sender was my school''s e-mail notification center.
[p=center]Good day to you, fellow traveller![/p] [p=center]The school invites you to join its 25th anniversary! But hold on, not just any anniversary, but an anniversary to be held in the Versailles Continent itself! On the 29th of this month, if you wish to attend the school''s anniversary, visit the Gloucest Castle located just East of the Citadel of Serabourg. That is where the school''s own guild, the Nanpolo Guild, will host the event at! Be sure to be there![/p]
The school''s anniversary was a rather major event in my school. Because the school''s spirit was so strong, the school''s events were always very popular. Students and staff alike are very fond of the school, and for an event such as the school''s anniversary, no effort would be spared. Something like this, every student will be there for sure! Vanessa will probably be there too... The event is going to be at the end of the month, three days after which my one month confinement would be up. I have to find some way to get to the Citadel of Seabourg by then! It was night time already, so I went to sleep. The next day, I immediately logged into RoyalRoad after I brushed my teeth. Ghanda was there in the Enchantium already, mixing what seemed to be flasks of potions. The moment he saw me, he smiled. ''Apprentice! Today, I shall reveal to you the last law of magic. Once you have come to understand this law, you will have become a mage of your own calling. With your Codex, and your understanding of the three laws of magic, you will walk your own path of the magi and discover the many hidden secrets of magic. I look forward to the day I shall greet you as a fellow archmage as well.'' He said heartily. I nodded and emotions swelled up within me. This was it! I was about to graduate from becoming an apprentice to an accomplished mage! All these hardships I have endured from reading countless tomes to escaping swarms of monsters will finally come to fruition! This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ''Right. Let''s begin, shall we? The last law of magic that I am about to teach you is a hidden secret only to High Elves. No other races that I have seen have come to understand the basic principles of this magic. This law is what we call as the Invocation Law. It speaks of elemental magic being combined to give a more complex form, one more powerful and possessing the principles of the elements being combined. However, to achieve this, you must be able to satisfy two conditions. One is, you have to simultaneously cast two spells in order to Invoke them. Secondly, you must reach a level of concentration sufficient enough to Invoke two completely different spells. There are other limitations that I have found as well, but I shall let you know later. It is not easy, but given your ability now, I believe you can invoke the two simplest of elemental magic, the Fire Strike and Ice Bolt. I want you to try Invoking Fire Strike and Ice Bolt, and see the result of it.'' *DING*
[p=center]Gained new ability : Invoke You have gained the ability to combine up to two basic elements together to form a stronger spell! Note : Your Invoked spell''s level will always be equivalent to the spell with the lower level between the spells combined. While using Invoked spells, the individual spell will also gain experience and level up. Mana-cost : Zero[/p]
When Ghanda finished speaking, I was at a loss of words. What he was telling me to do was something that should have been impossible! The idea of casting two spells simultaneously was something unheard of, let alone the idea of combining both fire and ice together! But if I am able to do this, I shall be the first mage on this continent to be able to perform magic of such complexity! ''Cast Fire Strike!'' The fireballs were conjured at once. This was the easy step. Now I had to conjure Ice Bolt, while holding Flame Strike in my hand! I looked at Ghanda for help, but weirdly enough, he wasn''t saying anything. Looks like I''m on my own this time... I thought to myself, I had to apply whatever I have learnt so far into this. First, I have to get at least one hand free. It would not do to put Ice Bolt and Fire Strike together without Invoking them first. I looked at the flames in my hand. Subconsciously, I did not realise I was actually using Mana Manifest to hold onto the spell. It then struck me. If I could use Mana Manifest to hold onto the spell, could it be possible I could transfer all the flames to just one hand, keeping the other free? I closed my eyes, and looked within myself. I could feel mana coursing through my body, and flowing rapidly into both my hands where they are channeled into the Fire Strike. Slowly, I tried to control the course of the mana flow, and edge it away from my right hand. It worked! Mana was now only flowing into my left hand! I opened my eyes, and tried to detach my right palm away from the flames. The flames were still alive! Normally, if I had done the same thing without controlling the flow of mana, the spell would have just launched itself straight. Now, the next thing was to conjure the Ice Bolt. The tricky part about this was that I have to conjure another spell in my right palm, while maintaining the mana flow to my left hand. Multi-tasking of this level would not be easy, and this was just the conjuring of two simple spells simultaneously. I firgured it would be easier if I used silent-casting for this since I do not have to use another bodily function. In my mind, just like I practised, I tried casting Ice Bolt. Nothing happened. I tried again. There was nothing. Frustrated, I tried to examine the problem. Then, I realised that I forgot to channel the mana back into my right hand! Once again, I looked within myself and saw the mana flow coursing in my body. I willed it to flow back into my right hand, and tried to cast Ice Bolt again. It worked! I had managed to cast two spells at the same time! Well, technically, I did not cast them at the same time, but having two elemental spells active at once was by no means an easy feat. Now was the time. ''Invoke!'' The Fire Strike and the Ice Bolt shot towards each other and exploded! After the smoke dissipated, the result of the collision was a projectile of some sort. It was made up of blue and orange flames, and it felt cold and hot at the same time. *DING*
[p=center]Gained new spell : Frostflame Bolt (Invoked) Frostflame Bolt Beginner Level 6. Shoots a ball of frost and fire at a target. The target will be stunned at a chance based on the level of Frost Bolt and will also take periodic fire damage based on the level of Fire Strike. Mana-cost : 70[/p]
''Wonderful! You have successfully managed to achieve the Invoking of spells!'' said Ghanda belatedly. *DING*
[p=center]Class Change! Congratulations! Your class has been changed to Hidden Class : Invoker.[/p]
[p=center]Quest Completed! You have graduated from apprenticeship and you are now a fully-fledged mage! You are now ready to take on your own adventures! Rewards : +1500 XP, 1 Ghanda''s Ring, + 10 Intelligence, + 15 Concentration, + 40 gold[/p]
''I have given you a ring as a mark that you were once my apprentice. Other magi who have heard of me will recognise that mark. Now, I do have something else to tell you. Once you have Invoked a spell, you do not have to keep Invoking it to use that particular spell. You can cast a combined spell straightaway if you have Invoked it before. Your Codex will contain all the spells you have learnt as well as Invoked.'' Ghanda said, before vanishing again. He had a parting message though, in the form of his usual echoes. ''I shall not show you to the door, Magi Crow. Your apprenticeship with me has met its inevitable end. Though there''s still more for me to teach you, I believe you will learn them better yourself. Come back anytime and give this old man a visit. I am sorry I am unable to say this in person, but there comes a point in an old man''s life where parting goodbyes are inexplicably hard.'' With that, the chamber doors behind me swung open, with a portstone on the floor just outside of the chamber. I walked forwards towards the chamber doors. Before I stepped out of the chamber, I turned my head around. ''Goodbye, Master Ghanda. I will always remember what you have taught me.'' I could have sworn I heard a sob before the doors swung shut again. Next Chapter? Spell 06 : The Embarkation Spell 06 : The Embarkation As I stepped away from the Enchantium, I realised I had no direction as to where to go next. There were still 2 days before my confinement would be up. But first, I should equip Ghanda''s ring and see what it has.
[p=center]You have equipped : Mark of Ghanda! A ring that has a little of Ghanda''s power in it. You will be recognised as an accomplished mage by those who have heard of Ghanda. Which is pretty much everybody who practises magic. Stats : + 20 Intelligence, + 25 Wisdom, +10% Mana Regeneration, + 250 Mana, + 500 Fame (Double Fame increment when talking to NPCs that are mages by class)[/p]
Holy shit! This ring''s stats were beyond incredible! The boost in Mana Regeneration will also help a lot now that Invoked spells actually cost quite a lot of mana. Speaking of which, I definitely need some new gear. Being at level 18, and without a proper set of gear, I probably would not be able to join any parties at all, even with my bonus attributes and spell damage. However, decent sets of gear from shops would cost a lot, and therefore the cheaper alternative would be to tag onto groups raiding dungeons. So it was kind of a dead end on both sides. I can''t afford gear, and neither will parties readily accept me into their groups. Such was the dilemma of so many budding players! Maybe it''s time I ask the gang and see how they''re doing...
[p=center]You are about to turn on Whispers from other players. Proceed? Yes | No[/p]
''Yes.''
[p=center]You are invited to a group chat named ''Kings4Lyfe''. Do you wish to join? Yes | No[/p]
Sighing, I chose ''Yes''.
[p=center]Welcome! You are now part of : Kings4Lyfe. You may begin chatting in the group![/p] [p=left]Crow : Seriously, guys, Kings4Lyfe? That''s the dumbest name I have ever heard. Saber : Woah, hey, you''ve finally turned on your Whisper! Can''t blame us, Bene- I mean, Bambsie came up with it. I mean, look at his own in-game name (IGN). Do you seriously think anything good can come out from Bambsie? Cluck : ''Cos not. Bambsie : Hey! I was making a statement, alright? I can see it now, our future guild will be called Kings4Lyfe too! It will be the strongest guild ever! Cluck : Like shit it would. Who in their right minds will join a guild by the name of Kings4Lyfe? Anyway, speaking of guilds, Crow, did you receive the e-mail from the school? The school''s guild is hosting the anniversary at the Gloucest Castle. Sounds like some major-ass event. We''re thinking of going. You coming? Crow : Yeah, definitely! Everyone will be there. Cluck : Duh, you horny little shit. I know what you''re thinking. Anyway, what have you been doing so far? What class are you anyway? Crow : Nothing much, just training myself that''s all. I''m a mage by the way. Cluck : Typical. Anyway, you''ll probably be taking the offensive part of our party, along with Bambs. I''m a Legionnaire. Basically, I ride around on a horse and aggro creeps. So I''m gonna be the tank probably. Bambsie : Yup! Anyway, I''m a Demolisher. Cool eh? I gave up being a swordsman after I found this job! I''ll just go around and blow things up! Saber : And naturally, healing will be done by me. Cluck told me to specialise in my restorative abilities as a druid. We''ve been hunting around for quite a bit now. Our levels are around the 25-28 range. What about you? Crow : I''m level 18 now. Saber : Woah, serious? That''s a shock. We kinda thought you''ll probably be ahead of us. You, with your no-life policy, shouldn''t have a problem getting to 50 by now even! Saber : Anyway, it doesn''t matter. Look, you have to find some way to get to Serabourg. I heard there''s probably portals around that you can use. Ask around town and see what you can find. Crow : Yeah, sure. I''ll ask around. See ya in 2 days.[/p]
So the gang''s pretty much ahead of me in levels, but no matter. I''m sure my offensive abilities are in no way lacking behind them. The way this game works, as I have pretty much deduced from my experiences so far, is that stats and skill levels matter much more than levels when dealing with opponents. Sure, more levels probably mean more abilities and bonus stats, but they are pretty much useless if the player isn''t able to use his skills effectively. I thought I should probably head to Veldrassil, since it''s the most vibrant part of the forest. I''ll probably be able to find my way out of this place there. I reached the tree after 10 minutes of walking. ''Level 145 Venom looking for a group! Preferably one heading to the Vile Swamps!'' ''Anyone looking for a Medal of Sunglost? It''s a quest item! I''m selling it!'' ''New guild recruiting! Come join us, the Crazed Doges, for a whopping good time in RoyalRoad!'' The usual market chatter greeted me as I entered the tree. Veldrassil seemed even busier today. With more and more players starting to play RoyalRoad, there was a sudden influx of many new players running around. Also, ever since some arcanist managed to create portal gates that facilitated instant travel, like the one that Saber mentioned, there have been a lot of users just touring around places connected by these gates. But, I have to first find someone who would probably be able to grant me one free passage. There is probably a high toll imposed for using these gates. Who could that someone be... Bingo! I should probably visit Lithus! I was just about to go find his stall when I realised something. Lithus would probably want to know how much I have progressed in Jewel-crafting, since he imparted it to me in goodwill. If he finds out that my skill level had not progressed at all, he''ll probably be livid! I should probably level up my Jewel-crafting first before I go find him. So, I found a nearby table and sat down. I took out one of the Medium Glass he gave me and looked at it. Lithus taught me the ability to reshape glass with the power of Enchanting. It saves me the hassle of cutting the object, and it also allows me to correct any mistakes if I were to make it a little out of shape. ''Enchant!'' And so I began molding the glass. Even with the use of magic, it was still a little difficult. That was because all objects, whether living or not, have an innate form that they are used to. The laws of nature have dictated that whenever one tries to alter the characteristics of an object, there will always be a natural resistance put up to resist that change. Sounds complicated, but basically, Mother Nature''s being a bitch by making it harder for other people to screw around with her works. For close to an hour or so, I was slowly molding out a shape of the glass. I guessed, for my first project, I should probably start with something simple, like a round crystal ball. *DING*
[p=center]You have created : Round Glass Orb! Artistic Value : 2 Effects : None You can probably sell this to some old gypsy. Jewel-crafting leveled up! Jewel-crafting is now Beginner Level 2. -You can now make earrings![/p]
I took out another Medium Glass, and began reshaping it. Since I can now make earrings, I should probably make one that I can wear myself. I could also enchant it to give it some bonus stats too, though at my Enchanting level now, that was impossible. *DING*
[p=center]You have created : Chipped Glass Earrings! A pair of earrings that were made by a novice Jewel-crafter. It is a little chipped. Not really very pretty. Stats : + 1 Agility, + 1 Intelligence.[/p]
It turned out chipped, huh. Well, guess I have to try and make another. I kept making earrings until I got to making the 5th one.
[p=center]You have created : Flawless Glass Earrings! A pair of earrings that were made by a novice Jewel-crafter. It is a absolutely flawless. Pleasing to the eye. Stats : + 8 Agility, + 6 Intelligence, + 7 Charisma Jewel-crafting leveled up! Jewel-crafting is now Beginner Level 4. -You can now work with basic gems![/p]
I equipped the earrings on. Well, off to find Lithus then! Lithus was at his stall, and greeted me warmly when he saw me. ''Ah, Magi Crow. News of your graduation from apprenticeship under Ghanda the Really Old has spread far and wide into the forest! I could not have guessed you were his apprentice the day I saw you! I see you have managed to fashion your own earrings. A very good job, I must say. Now, you must have something for me today. What is it you need? Since I was going to need materials for crafting anyway, I reckon I should probably buy some from him. I bought a few ruby gemstones from Lithus and proceeded on to inquire about the portal gates. ''The portal gates, you say? Indeed, they do charge you a toll of 250 gold to use it, and a greater fee is imposed if you are travelling further. For the Citadel of Serabourg, it will definitely cost you a fair bit. But, all is definitely not lost! My cousin works for the Council. I am sure he can get you to someone in the Council itself who could help you. You''ll find my cousin where the Council holds its meetings, Yggdrasil.'' Stolen story; please report. *DING*
[p=center]Quest Received! You are to meet up with Lithus'' cousin and see if he can help you with getting free passage through the portal gates. Quest Difficulty : F[/p]
''I accept.'' With that, I bid him farewell, and proceeded to Yggdrasil based on the directions he gave. It was not that difficult, seeing that Yggdrasil was easily the biggest tree in the forest. As I neared the tree, I could see security was getting tighter. The elves made use of arcane magic to animate stone golems that act as sentries. These golems were highly useful as they could see invisible units. Not only that, they are able to detect magical disturbances even from long range. This allows them to immediately react against any large-scale teleportation spells capable of bringing large units into the forest to commence invasions. I arrived at the tree, and was immediately blocked by two guards, one Night Elf and the other High Elf. ''State your purpose of visit please.'' ''I wish to visit...'' It was then I realised I forgot to ask for Lithus'' cousin''s name! ''Until you have stated your purpose of visit, I am afraid we are unable to let you pass.'' I was in a dilemma. I could go all the way back and ask Lithus, but that would be really inconvenient. Just as I was scratching my head, something unexpected happened. ''Wait, is that the Mark of Ghanda? Could it be that you are Magi Crow?'' The High Elf asked. ''Yes, I am.'' ''Well, it is an honour to meet you, Magi. Are you here to visit someone?'' ''Yes, but unfortunately, I did not manage to acquire his name. He is Lithus'' cousin. Lithus the jewel vendor.'' ''Ah yes, I believe his cousin''s name was Gerdel. Right this way, please.'' The guard turned and walked into the tree. I nodded to the other guard, and walked in. Yggdrasil was unlike any other of the trees in the Forest of No Return. The Night Elves respected the trees and believed in living in harmony with the trees. They are strongly against doing anything to the trees that could cause harm to them. But ever since High Elves were inducted to the Council, it seemed they brought their own sense of architecture to Yggdrasil itself. Many stone tables were placed along the sides of the tree, and paintings of all sorts were hung on the walls. As usual, harp music was playing in the background. Along with the Night Elves'' own ''home-grown'' furniture, it was actually quite a nice amalgamation of cultures. The guard brought me to a stone table where a rather lanky High Elf sat, with papers strewn all over the table. ''Gerdel! You have someone here to see you. Says he was sent here by your cousin. Good day to you, Magi Crow.'' The guard turned and walked back to his post. Gerdel looked up with a thick pair of spectacles, revealing a slight glint. The familiarity of it all gave me goosebumps... I should probably introduce him to Leyla one day... ''Hello there, Magi Crow. To what do I owe the pleasure?'' ''Lithus mentioned to me that you might be able to help me out a little with a problem I''m facing. See, I have to get to the Citadel of Serabourg in the next 3 days or so. But the only way to get there within such a short amount of time would be the portal gates. However, I do not have the gold required. Lithus thought that you might be able to get me to talk to someone in the Council who could perhaps waiver my fee.'' ''Introducing you to someone in the Council is not difficult, but what you are asking out of them is a huge favour. It is a favour that they would usually only grant to their own. Still it is not too difficult, I suppose I could help you find someone to talk to. Wait here for me.'' Gerdel stood up, and walked into one of the rooms. Moments later, he came out. ''Proceed into this room. I have managed to secure an audience for you with one of the Council members. Her name is Aeyssrya. She was one of the amazon rangers that fought back the Undead forces 7 years ago when they came to invade the forest. She is a fair and just person. Just plead your case. I''m sure she can help.'' I gave my thanks, and walked into the room. It resembled an audience chamber of some sort. There was a marble desk, with two stools facing each other. Potted plants were placed around the room and there was an abundant flowery scent that filled the room rather pleasingly. I sat down on the stool and waited for her to come. After about 5 minutes, she walked in. Calling her gorgeous was an understatement. She had purple hair that she kept braided neatly and her skin was a slight hue of lavender. Her eyes were the shape of perfect gemstones and soft light played with the reflections of her eyes, seemingly making them sparkle. She had a small nose, also perfectly shaped, and her lips gave her a mischievous smile. Her amazon robes fitted her figure well and her curves were voluptuous to say the least. She gracefully walked to the stool opposite mine, and sat down. ''Magi Crow, it is nice to meet you. How is Ghanda by the way? I have not seen him in Council meetings for a while.'' Master was a Council member?! ''He is well. Thank you for asking. I suppose he was busy the past few days.'' ''Always mysterious, that man. Always up to his secretive gestures. T''was no wonder my sister was so captivated by him.'' As she said that, her face fell. It was a perfect visage even when she was sad. I never could have guessed Liesa, Master''s sweetheart, could be Aeyssrya''s sister! ''Liesa was your sister? I am sorry, then. There was a beautiful statue of her in Master''s chamber. Everyday, he spends time looking at the statue as I trained. Pardon me for asking this though, but why is it that Ghanda looks so old, while you are yet still so... Young?'' To this, she chuckled, revealing a set of gleaming white teeth. ''We Night Elves are said to be immortal. This is the gift the Spirit of Nature has bestowed upon us in return of our continuing respect we have for nature. We will never age. However, we can still perish. Murder, or suicide, causes the deaths of Night Elves. So you say Ghanda still misses my sister... That is good to hear.'' ''Now, I must apologise. I have digressed. I have heard your plea from young Gerdel just now. I must say, this is quite a bold favour to ask, though not one impossible to grant. To be granted this favour, you must repay one in turn, even with your standing with Master Ghanda by wearing his Mark. Do you accept these terms?'' *DING*
[p=center]Quest Completed! You have managed to see Gerdel, and have now met with Aeyssrya![/p]
[p=center]Quest Received! In return for getting a free passage through the portal, you must accomplish a task. A rather difficult one, from the sounds of it. Do you accept? Quest Difficult : Unknown Yes | No[/p]
''I accept.'' ''Very well then. Now, I understand you are an accomplished mage. You must have some fighting ability in you. This task you''re given is to lead an elite squad of the Moondori up to a troll encampment near the outskirts of the forest, and exterminate these trolls. These trolls are warlocks, and their devious magic have caused a lot of pollution to the trees there. Not only that, their demonspawn sometimes wander into our trees and attack innocent civilians. You will not be alone, of course. There are some other adventurers who will be joining you as well, though they desire different rewards.'' ''Very well. I do have a question though. I thought the Wood Elves have sworn themselves to protect the base of our trees? Shouldn''t this be something they would take care of?'' ''You are not wrong in saying that. However, the Wood Elves are bound by ancestral vows. It seemed their ancestors had made a pact with the trolls, vowing that they would never cross swords with the troll race. Naturally, they cannot help us this time. It therefore falls on us to eliminate these trolls.'' ''Come back in about 3 hours. Prepare whatever you need for this task. I will have the party of adventurers as well as the Moondori rounded up by then. Nice earrings by the way.'' *DING*
[p=center]Quest Updated! You are to lead a party of Moondori rangers as well as some other adventurers into a troll encampment and destroy all the trolls there. Quest Difficulty : D If you fail this quest, the Council will find it very hard for them to grant you any favours at all.[/p]
Alright! Time to start on a real adventure! Next Chapter? Author''s Note : Hi readers! Thanks for your support all this while! I really appreciate the comments and feedback. Anyway, I will be uploading maybe 2-3 chapters over the next few days, to sort of make up for the fact that I''m going overseas for close to a month. So there won''t be a chapter from next Friday all the way to after mid-November! Thanks guys! Spell 07 : The Victory Spell 07 : The Victory *SLASH* *CUT* ''Fatal Dive!'' The numerous ghouls lay in a dead pile surrounding the knight. They were terrifying creatures, of levels close to the 70s, and had vicious poison breaths that could kill a person by inflicting major damage over time. But now, they have been reduced to nothing but a heap of dead flesh. All by the work of one knight. The knight was holding onto a claymore blade, with dragon tatoos splashed across the blade of the sword. A fiery red gem was inscribed in the hilt of the blade and was pulsing gently. The sword was roughly half the length of the knight''s body and it was polished to reflect the knight''s own shining armour, which was also magnificent. Clad in plate armour from head to toe, there was nothing that could penetrate the knight''s defence. Splashed across the vest of the knight was a tabard that displayed an insignia in the shape of a dragon as well. Just then, a foot soldier entered the room where the knight was in. He gave a salute before speaking. ''M''lady, the castle has been secured. All the zombie ghouls in the other rooms have been eliminated. All the credit goes to your detailed planning and execution. The capturing of Eden Castle has been smooth so far. We''ve lost only 12 soldiers so far.'' The knight plunged the claymore into the stone floor, causing cracks to appear. As the knight removed her helmet, a long sheet of amber brown hair flowed out. She brandished her hair back and gave a sigh of relief. Finally, after days of careful planning and sneak attacks, they have finally managed to reclaim Eden Castle that fell to the might of the Undead army. ''Good work, soldier. Send the men back to our camp and tend to those who are injured at once. I will report back to the commander at once.'' ''Yes, m''lady. It has been an honour serving beside you, Lady Vanyssa.'' ''It has been an honour too. Now, go.'' The soldier gave another salute, and left the room. Vanyssa looked around her, and felt triumphant. I can finally relax! Now, there''s only that school anniversary to look forward to...
For the upcoming battle, I stocked up on various dried foods as well as cheeses to deal with hunger. Which also reminded me that I probably will need to pick up Cooking if I have to stay well-fed in this game. RoyalRoad is quite unlike other MMORPGs that I have played so far. Everything about RoyalRoad is so realistic, and that includes problems like fatigue and hunger. You can''t just bless or buff hunger away, and the only way to solve hunger is food. Fortunately, it is probably much easier to cook in the game then in reality RIght now, in my arsenal of Invoked spells, I only have Frostflame Bolt. Powerful it may be, I still need another spell that can aid in me battle. So I decided to Invoke another spell. ''Cast Fire Strike!'' ''Cast Luminous Light!'' With the spell of fire in one hand, and the spell of light in another, I used the same process to Invoke the two together. This was the first time I tried Invoking a combat and a non-combat spell together. I wonder what I''ll get... *DING*
[p=center]Gained new spell : Flashbomb! Flashbomb Beginner Level 7 You create a bomb that is able to blow off to stun enemy units for a duration based on the level of Fire Strike within an Area of Effect (AOE) based on the level of Luminous Light. May also blind units, causing them to miss on attacks. Chance of blinding is based on level of Luminous Light. Caution : Affects ALL units, including allies. Unless unit is blind in the first place. Mana-cost : 400[/p]
Ho-damn! This spell will be extremely useful if I can pull it off using a surprise attack! Or I can also use it as a distraction if I need to escape somehow. I just have to warm my allies to close their eyes before I use this spell though. If they listen to me, that is. To be honest, I have been wondering whether I could lead them effeciently. My level is nothing to speak about, and yet I was appointed to lead the party? I wonder what was Aeyssrya thinking. True, my acquired fame is high enough to influence certain NPC decisions, but players will not be affected at all by my Fame. Real players only care about levels and gear, things which I lack. I reached back to Yggdrasil 3 hours later, as instructed by Aeyssrya. Sure enough, there was a squad of 25 Moondori rangers waiting in attention as Aeyssrya briefed them on the mission. From what I could tell, they were all level 25 and above, carrying mostly bows or crossbows. Only about 5 held blades. So my squad of troops is mostly ranged attackers huh... Looks like I can''t use a frontal assault. I have to cripple the enemy defence from afar first somehow... ''So! You are the puny one that''s gonna be our tour guide huh?'' I turned around to look at the speaker. It was a middle-aged looking man, with two gigantic axes strapped to his back. He sure looked menacing enough to scare people. I''m guessing this guy''s a Berserker. Berserkers are a crazy bunch. They get stronger the longer they fight, and whenever they get into their bloodlust... Let''s just say they aren''t able to distinguish friend from foe. From the looks of it, this guy will probably be the least likely one to follow my orders. ''Yes, I am.'' I answered. ''Look, you''re a nice kid. And I''m sure you love the taste of adventure. But boy, this ain''t just fun and games. This is a battle we''re talking about. Where real men fight, and death is everywhere. You do best t-'' Before he finished, I cut in. ''I was appointed leader of this party, and that is what I shall become. If you have problems following my orders, I ask that you leave the party now. Otherwise, you can stay. And you will listen to me.'' He guffawed loudly at this. ''Listen to you?! What the hell are you saying, boy? Just look at yourself. Do you think the trolls will be afraid of you? No! They''ll just laugh at you and finish you off! Let me lead the team, and the trolls will have something decent to fight with!'' I was about to lose my cool when I stopped myself just in time. I knew this guy will not back down unless I prove my worth. Since he wanted to do this the hard way, then I had no choice. ''Alright. I''ll let you lead the party, if you can take 3 hits from me without dying. Deal?'' I was planning on him on taking the bait. I knew his pride would not let him back down on a challenge from someone he just called weak. So, I definitely have to take this chance to exploit whatever advantage I have over him. And just as I expected, he fell for it. ''3?! I''ll even let you hit me 10 times. Come on then, let''s get it over and done with. Then I can bring us to go fight some trolls!'' He stood up and moved to the center of the room, folding his arms as though waiting expectantly for some presents to come to him. Everyone else in the room were looking at this scene unfold with much interest. Aeyssrya and the Moondori moved back to the walls, as though giving us more space to carry on with our fight. The rest of the players in the party remained seated in their chairs, also watching carefully. So to be a leader, I have to prove myself. Man, this sure is exciting! Sure, 3 hits from any other level 18 mage may amount to just a scratch on a warrior class, even on a low-defence class like the Berserker. But, as I smiled to myself, I am not just any other mage. I am the Invoker! ''Cast Frostflame Bolt!'' With Mana Manifest, I continued empowering the spell. The Berserker looked at me cautiously. He had obviously not seen a mage that could launch a ball of fire and frost before, much less put it together and hold it in his hands. When I judged that I had reached the limit, I released the spell. It was a direct hit! The spell exploded right in his abdomen, causing him to stagger and fall in a ball of fire. He hurriedly tried to put out the flames and stood up, albeit with much effort. He opened his mouth to speak, but somehow, he could not get his words out. Obviously, he was in much pain. I was also surprised by my own ability. I did not expect the spell to cause so much hurt. All the added Intelligence I have received had increased my spell power by bounds. I began to cast another Frostfire Bolt when he put up his hand. ''No! Stop! That spell just took out nearly half of my HP! If you cast another spell like that, and if it''s a critical hit, I''ll die! Enough! I give! I give!'' Feeling a moment of satisfaction, I put out the spell. Just as I expected, this Berserker had invested all his stats into Strength, and had not even bothered to train up on either his Stamina nor Endurance. In short, he was a glass cannon. Glass cannon is a common term used in many games. It refers to gamers who just focus on bringing up their damage as much as possible, thus neglecting other stats that could have helped raise their chances to survive. Though glass cannons would be exceptionally good damage-dealers, they die so easily that they might not even get a chance to dish out damage in the first place. Luckily for me, I took him out first. I sensed a stony silence, and glanced around the room. Everyone had shocked faces, including Aeyssrya. I cleared my voice. ''Okay. So that''s settled. Anyone else have disregards with me leading the party?'' Nobody said anything. ''Fine. Can I have everybody to gather outside please? I just have some things I would like to confirm with Amazon Aeyssrya.'' As everybody filed out, I went up to Aeyssrya. Just as I opened my mouth, she cut me short. ''Impressive, Magi Crow. You put up quite a display of ability. I believe you have quelled all the misgivings your party had of you previously. I must say, you mages continue to impress me. Now, I know what you want to ask me. The troll encampment just lies south from here. Take this voodoo doll. I acquired it from one of their kind. It will vibrate when you point it towards the direction of the encampment, in case you lose your sense of direction in the forest.'' ''Now, off you go. Use the translocating orb outside to bring yourself to the bottom of the tree. Your party is waiting for you. Best of luck to you.'' When I went outside, the Moondori were in a file and standing in rapt attention. The non-NPCs were discussing things in a group and fell silent when they saw me. Gosh, must they always hear some sort of a speech from me everytime before we do something? ''Right. We will complete this mission, do or die. The citizens depend on us! Of course, I will definitely have a battle plan once I assessed the situation there. For now, we shall travel south. May the Spirit of Nature bless us all!'' The Moondori gave a cheer and one by one, they lined up behind the orb and disappeared. The effect of Fame on NPCs was really great. Even something that was not really inspiring could bring about such morale when one with a high Fame says it. Soon, everyone was translocated. The roots of the trees. This place here is nothing like the above. It was like a cloud of despair hung over the place, causing everything to look gloomy. The fact there was nothing except roots did nothing to improve the situation. We were all standing on gigantic tendrils that arced downwards. There were so many of them that it looked like a symphony of roots down here. I peered through the roots and saw something like a civilisation beneath some of the trees. The gigantic trees here were supported by their equally gigantic roots, so naturally there were spaces beneath the trees for civilisation to grow. If you cannot picture it, open up your fingers and curve them downwards like claws. Now, put your hand on the table with your fingers supporting your palm. That''s exactly how the trees are grown like here. I suppose these settlements were Wood Elf cities. Well, they had nothing to offer me right now to fight these trolls, so I should probably move along. I assessed the Moondori, and had them spread out a little with the 5 blade-wielders encircling them. With so many ranged attackers, it was necessary to give them some sort of cover if we were to be attacked. Of course, 5 was definitely not enough, but I had to make do with the small number of bladers I had. Using the voodoo doll as our guide, we set off. For a while, we walked in silence. Then, the only female character in the party spoke up. ''Hey, let us not be so hostile to each other. Well, since I''m the only girl, I expect you guys to protect me! I''m Kiry by the way. I''m a monk. How about you guys?'' ''Hello, I am Felix. I am a warlock and I specialise in summons. I have plenty of curses too, in my arsenal. I know what the trolls can do, so leave it to me to counter their spells.'' The one who was hooded spoke up. ''Hey all, I''m Connor. Paladin here. I can heal and tank.'' The one who wore the most amour spoke up, though his was not that difficult to guess, looking at his weapon of choice, which was a mace. ''Alright, I''m the oldest here. My name''s Gabriel. Berserker''s my class. Word of caution though, don''t stand too near me when you see me going red.'' And of course, the unruly one had to introduce himself. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Silence followed afterwards, and I realised it was my turn to introduce myself. ''My name is Crow. Well, I''m a mage.'' ''C''mon, there''s definitely more than that. You can''t be just a mage. I saw the spell you used. That wasn''t something any normal mage could throw out!'' Felix said. ''Well, you could say I specialise in combining magic, I guess. It''s only a little more powerful. That''s all.'' I decided not to reveal too much about my class. I wanted to be as low profile as possible. At least, among the human players. Too many questions really can annoy the hell out of me. Then, all of a sudden, we were attacked! Shadow imps appeared out of nowhere and started to shoot cursed flames at us. Demon guards that held blades of green fire charged towards us. I recovered from the shock and took hold of the situation. ''Bladers, protect the archers! Use your swords to protect the archers from the cursed flames! Archers, shoot down the imps first! Felix, use your summons to protect the archers as well!'' And with that, the fight began. Gabriel and Kiry immediately leaped forward and started attacking the Demon guards. Connor furiously used Holy magic to smite the enemies and heal those who were injured. I shot Frostfire bolts at the imps as well, taking most of them out in one hit, thanks to Mana Manifest. Fortunately, we were attacked only by a small party of demons that were probably scouts. We took them out rather easily. None of us died, thanks to Connor''s healing and blessings. Morale went pretty high after the battle. Felix, however, was not happy. ''Sorry to break the moment, people, but I do have to warn ya something. When we warlocks use summons, we create a pact with each demon we summon. Though the pact only lasts as long as the demon is in this world, once it is prematurely ended, we can feel the loss. Sad to say, when we killed these demons, I have a pretty good feeling those warlocks who summoned it felt it. Those trolls will be on their guard now. We better be more careful.'' And with that, everyone became sober and more alert. We continued walking, and soon, we saw the encampment. It was pretty lively with activities. From afar, we could see that there was a gigantic green fire in the middle of the camp, and there were Demon guards poised around the perimeter of the camp. There was no way we were getting close without getting spotted. We definitely need something to protect us if we were to attack. Bingo! I could try creating some spell to help us! ''Cast Frostbolt!'' ''Cast Barrier!'' Maybe infusing something with protective magic like Barrier could give us something useful... ''Invoke!'' *DING*
[p=center]You have gained a new spell : Mistcloak Mistcloak Beginner Level 7 You create a temporary cloak of invisibility using the powers of mist that shields you from the eyes of the enemy. Amount of presence masked by the cloak depends on the level of Barrier, and the duration of the ability depends on the level of Frostbolt. Any damage received will break the invisibility. Mana-cost : 80[/p]
Not quite something I had in mind, but this will give us the element of surprise we need! However, the mana-cost was too high even for me to keep up with for 30 people including myself. ''Connor, do you have something to bless me with to increase my mana-pool?'' ''I do, but it''s not that strong. I can increase your mana by 300 with a blessing.'' ''It will have to do.'' I was bathed in golden light, and my mana pool increased by 300! I had only just about enough mana to cloak 25 people. ''Alright, people. Listen up. I will now cast a cloak of invisibility over you. I only have just about enough mana to cloak only 25 people. And this cloak will only last for about 7 minutes. It will only break if you take any form of damage. So here''s the plan, I will cloak the 20 archers, myself, Connor, Felix, Kiry and Gabriel. We will move stealthily past the guards and directly into the camp itself. From there, we will spread from the center of the campfire. Take care not to touch anything. The moment you are inside and your position is secured, I want you to close your eyes. I need you to believe in me, alright? Just close your eyes, until you hear a loud bang. Then we will commence the attack.'' ''The 5 bladers! You will be in-charge of causing a distraction along with Connor. I want you to charge straight into the Demon guards and attack them. Connor will heal and protect you with Holy magic while under the cloak. Try not to let him take any damage or he will be revealed. I want you to hide yourselves behind those bushes. Once you see a bright flash in the village, commence the plan. Keep the Demon guards busy. Remember, timing is key for this to work.'' ''Any questions?'' Connor put up his hand. ''Yes?'' ''What is this bright flash you''re talking about that seems to important?'' ''It''s a bomb I will make. Do not worry though, it will only serve to blind and stun those who look into it when it explodes. I plan on throwing it into the campfire itself, where everybody is performing their rituals. Anything else?'' No one said anything. They looked confident. I then proceeded to cast Mistcloak on the people I mentioned. Those under the effects of Mistcloak vanished immediately! I cloaked myself last. ''Alright, we shall begin the plan now. Remember, we only have 7 minutes. I will keep track of the time. Once the 7 minutes are up, I will launch the bomb. Therefore, move swiftly and position yourselves well. I cannot afford to have the invisibility broken before I set off the bomb. Since we can''t see each other, I can only trust you all to follow my lead.'' ''Everyone, foward!'' I picked up my pace and ran towards the encampment. All was good so far. From where I was standing, the Demon guards should have been able to see me. But they gave no sign of surprise. So all was good. I proceeded up the slope and walked towards the campfire. It was quite a sight to behold. The trolls were all dancing in some sort of a ceremony, hollering themselves dry with wicked words. Their imps were dancing along with them. I counted the trolls. There were about 30 of them. The Demon guards amounted up to about 30 as well. Only the imps were in large numbers. There were close to about 60 of them! Fortunately, they had low health, and were easy to take out. I moved myself near the campfire and waited patiently. I had only about 2 minutes left. ''Cast Flashbomb!'' Using silent casting, I formed the spell. With Mana Manifest, I continued charging the spell with power. Some of the imps stopped dancing and looked around. Beings of magic such as imps could tell when magic was cast. I cursed myself for forgetting that little bit of information I picked up from the readings in the Enchantium. However, the imps looked away and continued dancing. I knew I only had seconds left. I stood up, and shouted. ''LOOK AWAY NOW!'' All the trolls and imps stopped dancing and immediately turned their heads towards the campfire. I immediately threw the Flashbomb in the campfire and bent down to cover my ears and eyes. *BAAAANG!* It was like a crack of a large cannon! The green fire must have added some strength to the spell as well! Even with my eyes closed, I could see white light. I opened my eyes, and shouted. ''ATTAACCKKKKKK!'' The archers appeared one by one out of their invisiblity and immediately fired arrows at will towards the trolls. All the imps and trolls were blinded and stunned. Most of them couldn''t move and were sitting ducks for the arrows. Kiry, Gabriel and Felix immediately pounced on the trolls as well. And then, there was a commotion outside. The 5 bladers were commencing their attack as well! Luckily, my Fire Strike was at a rather high level to allow a greater stun duration from the bomb. Plus with Mana Manifest, the trolls and imps were immobilised for a whopping 6 seconds! During that time which a lot of them were taken out by our attacks. By the time they recovered, only about 12 trolls remained, and a quarter of the imps were still alive, but barely. They begun counter-attacking, but from our fierce onslaught, they were not really a match for us. Some of the Moondori took fatal hits, and perished, but it could not be helped as Connor was outside protecting the bladers. There were some other troll warlocks that were in tents when the attack began, but were also taken out by the archers who positioned well that they had advantageous vantage points. All in all, it was a huge success. The attack from within dealt a swift and deadly blow to the trolls. I left the situation in the camp to the rest, and ran out to check on Connor and the bladers. They were fending off well on their own as well. Connor was diligently healing and blessing them. I lent my aid by shooting at the Demon guards. Before long, they were all dead. We headed towards the campfire to check on the situation. Every single troll warlock was dead, though a few managed to escape. But considering the damage we dealt to them, I don''t think they would be back anytime soon. From killing higher level trolls, I gained 2 levels! And learnt a new spell as well!
[p=center]Gained new spell : Sunflare! Sunflare Beginner Level 1. 0% You call on the heat of the sun to strike an enemy from above. Usable only when outdoors. Extremely powerful against units weak against fire. Mana-cost : 100[/p]
Excellent! Something new I can Invoke with! But more on that later... With triumphant cheers, the human players looted everything while the Moondori stood at attention, waiting for possible troll reinforcements to come. When everything was cleared, we headed back to Yggdrasil. During the battle, 6 archers unfortunately died. It was inevitable, but luckily, the human players all survived. Aeyssrya was waiting in the audience chamber, and she came out when she heard news of my arrival. I nodded to her and reported the results of the battle. She was saddened by the loss of the archers, but was satisfied that the trolls were banished. ''You have done a remarkable job. All of you will get your due rewards. Moondori, you are relieved of your duty for now. Please go back home and visit your familes. I will personally visit the families of those who perished. Magi Crow, a word please.'' She went back into the audience chamber, and I followed. She sat down, and gestured me to sit as well. ''You have shown bravery and remarkable battle wit in overcoming your odds. From organising your troop formation to commencing a rather unorthodox battle plan that took out a an entire battlement of troll warlocks and their demonspawn. Not many I know today possess that kind of ability. You have proven yourself well.'' *DING*
[p=center]Quest Completed! You have managed to destroy the entire troll warlock encampment! Though a few managed to escape to perhaps bring news to their masters, you have assured the safety and peace that the forest will continue to have! Quest Rewards : + 2750 XP, + 150g, + 700 Fame[/p]
I leveled up 4 times! A D-grade group quest that was so difficult to complete had such rewards! ''Of course, we will grant you free passage through the portal gates as promised. In addition, I have some good news for you. Ghanda has sent word to us that you shall be his representative in the Council. What this means that though you are not an official member of the Council yet, you shall take his place in meetings. Of course, you can participate in the meetings and your views will be considered by the Council though you are not able to make any decisions as yet. We are happy to induct you into the Council once you have proven yourself further. Right now, we are most interested in having you as a representative of Ghanda.'' *DING*
[p=center]New Title Acquired! You have been nominated by your master to be his ''secretary'' during Council meetings. You will earn a quarter of his wages from the Council and you are able to sit in on meetings. Do you accept? Yes | No[/p]
''I accept!''
[p=center]Congratulations! You are now a : Representative in the Council You are given a : Mark of the Council![/p]
Another ring? Woah this is a little too good to be true! Next Chapter? Spell 08 : The Friendships Spell 08 : The Friendships I left the audience chamber, and found the party waiting outside. Connor took out a set of robes and passed it to me. ''Here. I found this on one of the Demon guards outside just now. I initially wanted to keep it and sell it away later, but I figured we owed you one for helping us to clear this quest. Without your strategy, man, I hate to think what would have happened to us instead. So here, this is for you.'' I took the set of robes and realised that it was still unidentified. ''Man, thanks so much. Are you sure you don''t want this? You were the one who looted this afterall. It might actually sell for quite a high sum.'' ''Nah, it''s alright. You need it more than I do anyway. Look at those beginner vests! I''m surprised you don''t die from a single blow sometimes, you know.'' Kiry then came up and put her arm around my neck. I admit I didn''t think it was uncomfortable. ''Hey, Crow, just take it already! Think of it as a thank-you gift from us. Anyway, since we had so much fun, why don''t we register as friends?'' She sent me a friend request, which I accepted immediately. Then one by one, they all added me as a friend too. First friends made! I mean, not counting Saber and those idiots... ''So, why were you guys on that quest anyway? I heard from Aeyssrya that you were looking for something.'' At this, they grew excited. Well, mostly Connor anyway. ''We''re looking for this priest who''s an NPC actually. Word is, he''s an expert on Holy magic and will teach you some rather advanced Holy magic if you manage to actually find him. We heard the Council might have some information on him so we approached them. In exchange for information about him, we agreed to take out the troll encampment. The guys here wanted me to become stronger, so we''re going to look for him now.'' ''Sounds great! If you can learn something worthy from him, your healing abilities will be a great boost to any party! Well, I wish you guys luck. I have to get to Serabourg now. I have some event that I need to attend. See you guys!'' I kept both the ring and the robe in my bag, waved goodbye and headed further up the tree. Usually, transportation up and down the trees in the Forest of No Return can be easily done using orbs of translocation all over the tree, but since the portal gates were only about a floor up, I decided to use the stairs. The stairs were basically wooden planks that grew out from the walls of the tree. The planks seemed to be part of the tree still, for they were soft and squishy rather than hard like dead logs. I reached the next floor, and turned into a room at the landing. Inside the room was a counter next to what seemed like two rather flimsy-looking spiral towers spaced a distance apart from each other. There were guards positioned along the walls of the room, and there was a clerk sitting behind the counter. Looking at the two spiral towers, I began to have my misgivings on whether these two poles could really support teleportation in the first place! But it was still not time yet. Come on, it should be anytime now... A few painful minutes later, it came. *DING*
[p=center]Congratulations! Your 1-month confinement within the Forest of No Return has been lifted. You can now leave your starting town and travel freely anywhere you want to go! Happy Adventuring![/p]
Feeling happy, I stepped forward to the counter. ''Excuse me, I would like passage to the Citadel of Serabourg, please.'' I asked politely. ''That would be a fee of 450 gold, please.'' The clerk replied after looking at what seemed like a paper list of places. ''I''m sorry, but the Council has agreed to waiver my fee.'' ''Ah, yes. I am aware of such an arrangement. Do you have identification?'' I took out the Mark Aeyssrya gave to me and showed it to the clerk. He looked at it for a brief moment and nodded. ''All seems to be in order. Right, if you will kindly step into the portal. Oh, and do note that the Council has only granted you free passage out Yggdrasil. If you are to use the portal gates in other locations, the governing body who controls the portal gates there will charge you at their own rates. Now, I would like to confirm the location, please. You wish to travel to the Citadel of Serabourg, is that right?'' ''Yes. That is right.'' The clerk took what looked like two blue crystals from his desk and mounted them on top of both towers. After a while or so, the blue crystals started to crackle with energy. Electric currents began to form around the two towers and the room seemed to shake along with the towers. Slowly, a swirly mist began to form in the air between the two towers. It grew bigger and bigger until a vortex was formed. The currents began to die down, and the portal looked stable. The clerk gave me the thumbs up and gestured me to step into the portal. I guess this is my ride! Teleporting felt vaguely like flying through a tunnel of nothing but flashing colours. My body felt like it was being flattened and stretched out at the same time. All in all, it was really not a comfortable experience. After flying for what seemed like eternity, another vortex opened right above and my body got sucked right into it. I was hit with blinding sunlight the moment I felt solid ground. For a moment, I had to shield my eyes from the glaring light. I guess being cooped up in a forest can cause you to not get used to the light outdoors. The heat was strong outside too. I opened my eyes slowly and looked around. It looks like I''m in a market square of some sort. The usual market banter and players asking for this and that was aplenty here too. I turned behind me and saw only a stall selling beers. So portal gates are one-way huh... Something interesting to note. ''Wait, did this guy just port here?'' ''Could that be possible? I mean, look at his gear! It''s all low level items. How did he even get the gold to use the portal?'' ''He must have stolen it somehow. And that ring too. It looks a little too decent for him to be able to obtain an item like that.'' ''What a thief. Better stay away from him. He''s not holding onto any weapon. Maybe he''s hiding his cut-purse knives!'' I frowned at all the reproachful comments. Usually when a player suddenly appears out of nowhere, people usually just assume that the player had probably just logged in. But, it seems like porting probably had some dramatic effect when I materialised out of nowhere that made these people suspicious. Ignoring these people, I went to find an identifying shop that could identify the set of robes Connor gave to me. This market was huge! Compared to Veldrassil, there were so many different stalls and shops that variety was not an issue. Even armoursmiths each sold different types of armours. There were no one-stop-to-go places; everyone just specialised in one craft. I finally came to a shop which hung a huge sign of a magnifying glass above its doors. This should be it. I went in and found people bustling about, NPCs and non-NPCs alike. I approached a Human girl behind the counter and placed the robe on it. ''Hi, can you identify this?'' ''Yeah sure, give me a minute.'' She waved her hands around the robe and it glowed for a moment. *DING*
[p=center]Robe Identified! You have identified : Viele Sorcerer Robes! This set of robes belonged to one of the Viele Sorcerers, a group of magic practitioners that pledged themselves to help the weak. However, their entire order was decimated when one of their attacks against troll outlaws failed terribly. Not one has survived to tell the tale. Restrictions : Level 25, 55 Intelligence. Stats : + 45 Intelligence, + 35 Wisdom, + 10% Resistance to Shadow damage[/p]
Since robes are considered overalls, by wearing these robes, I cannot equip pants. That''s why the stats are made to be higher, to compensate the fact that I can only wear one piece of armour. Now, I just have to equip the ring... ''Open Mark of the Council stats!''
[p=center]Mark of the Council This ring is proof that you have standings with the Council. An ability-restriction has been placed on this ring, therefore making it less powerful. You will receive full benefits from wearing this ring once you are an official member of the Council. Current Stats : +6 to All discovered Stats, + 5% Spell Power, + 5% Attack Power, + 1000 Fame[/p]
The gain in stats were not much, and the boost in spell power was minor, but the Fame gain was substantial! The Council was afterall the ruling body of the Forest of No Return. It possesses the most amount of influence in its region. I equipped both the ring and the robes. ''Open chat window : Kings4Lyfe!''
[p=center]Welcome! You may begin chatting in the group : Kings4Lyfe![/p] [p=left]Crow : Hey, I''m in Serabourg already. Where are you guys?[/p] [p=center]-I waited for a moment before I got my reply.-[/p] [p=left]Saber : Oh, hey Crow! Gimme a moment. I''ll send you an invite to join our party. Right now, we''re sorta in a dungeon. Crow : Wait, what d''you mean by ''sorta''? Crow : Alright, I''m in. Which dungeon are you guys at? Saber : Well, Bambs got into some trouble with his own explosives so right now we''re trying to clear some things up. Anyway, we''re in Bolden''s La-[/p]
I disconnected from the chat because I couldn''t believe what my eyes just saw. A female Human knight just walked out of the identifying shop. And she was the splitting image of Vanessa! Though her hair colour was different, it had to be her! I pushed my way out of the mass of customers hogging counters, and with much effort, finally managed to extricate myself to the exit. But I was too late. She was gone. If she''s here, it means she''s definitely going for the anniversary!
[p=center]Welcome! You may begin chatting in : Kings4Lyfe[/p] [p=left]Crow : Hey sorry. I got interrupted. You were saying? Saber : Man, I thought you got attacked or something. Anyway, it doesn''t matter. We''re coming back to town. We got kicked out of the dungeon. Crow : Woah, what happened? Cluck : Well, someone had to go around laying mines all over the place. Unfortunately, one of the mines got set off. And it wasn''t set off by a monster. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Saber : So long story short, someone got hit pretty badly. And as compensation, we agreed to let the poor guy and his party clear out the dungeon instead. Bambsie : But hey! It wasn''t my fault! I did place a sign over the mine to indicate there was a bomb there! Only something as stupid as the salamanders inside the dungeon would have stepped on it! Cluck : Oh, shut up. We were already doing fine with hand-thrown bombs. Anyway, Crow, we meet you outside the church, alright? There''s word going around about some priest NPC that''s pretty bad-ass at Holy magic being around town. Crow : What do we need to see him for? Saber''s restorative power depends on the element of Nature, not Holy anyway. Cluck : Well, that''s where you''re wrong, dude. Apparently, this guy''s got some crazy handle on teaching healing spells. Says here on the forums that he''s not just teaching Priests or Paladins; he''s teaching anyone who can find him! Think about it, if everyone can learn basic healing spells, we can all share the burden of healing in the party! Crow : That sounds pretty good.. Outside the church of Freya? Right I''ll be there.[/p]
Even Cluck''s heard of this Holy priest. Can''t be just a hoax then... I asked for directions to the church, and set off on my way. Soon, I got to what seemed like a food street. I remembered that I needed to pick up Cooking, or else I''ll be losing a fortune buying up dried food all the way when I''m adventuring. I stopped by a noodle stall and ordered a bowl of noodles. Honestly, I wasn''t really hungry, but I figured being a nice customer would be a better person to ask the chef for a favour than being a free-loader. ''Hey, Chef, these noodles are excellent! How did you manage to get it so springy?'' The chef turned around and I almost spat out my food. She was a bear-man! Bear-woman, to be more exact. ''Ahhh. One who appreciates the culinary arts! You''ll go far, dear boy. You want to know why my noodles are springy? Alas, that is a secret! I cannot have my competitors knowing all my secrets, or else I''ll lose my business! You understand, don''t you?'' She sounded a little afraid of offending me. I guess it must have been my high Fame that was causing her to be on the edge. ''My dear madam, I understand perfectly of course. It is a pity though... You see, I''m pretty famous back at home. I was thinking of setting up a stall in your name. To bring fame to your culinary abilities, of course! But I understand your wishes. It was nice knowing you. Goodbye!'' I turned away, pretending to be really sad. ''Wait, wait! Young man, you seem like a very nice man. I think I can trust you. I will teach you Cooking myself! Mark my words, you will go far, young man. I see the spirit of Cheffington in you!''
[p=center]You have learnt new craft skill : Cooking! Cooking Beginner Level 1. 0% You may cook simple dishes! Recipes can be learnt from either texts or from people! However, some recipes have level requirements. Learnt new recipe : Springy Noodle Soup! Effects : + 5 All Stats, +50% Jump Height. You''ll feel a little more springy from the noodles![/p]
''The spirit of Cheffington?'' ''Yes! Cheffington was unrivaled when he was still alive as a Grandmaster Chef. His dishes were so amazing that people grew addicted to his food. Anyway, we Bear-people believe that when one has the touch of cooking, he or she will one day see the spirit of Cheffington rise up from the steam produced from only a heavenly dish that only Cheffington could have cooked himself! Then, the spirit of Cheffington will reveal a hidden secret told to no one but only to himself to that one with the touch! You, my boy, will become the one!'' It sounded like a load of bull, but I listened anyway. I was just here to pick up Cooking, and now that I have gotten the skill, I did not have to listen to her anymore. Well, in a crude sense. I smiled to the chef, and nodded. I turned to go. ''Hey! About that stall back home, you will, ah, how should I put it... Ah yes! Give me a little credit, wouldn''t you?'' ''What? Oh yeah. Sure. I definitely will! If I open a stall, that is...'' The last part I said to myself. Pretty soon, I reached the church. It was more like a cathedral then a church. It was much too big and grand. I waited patiently, then a bunch of guys came up. And they were attracting a lot of attention. Well, I sighed, it had to be them. One was riding a mule that was getting laughed at by passer-bys. One was in the form of a saber-toothed cat and moving on legs seemingly too long for its body. Well, the last one... His entire head was black. From explosive powder, I guess. ''Woah, hey, guys! Cluck, when you said you were a Legionnaire, I really didn''t expect to see you riding on a lame-ass donkey! Saber, did you screw up your character creation or something? Why do you have such long legs? And Bambsie, did you blow up your face or something?'' Honestly, I was a little embarassed to be around these retards, but still, they are my friends. Saber changed back into human form and started talking. ''Yeah, I forgot to shorten the legs for my cat form. So basically, all four of my limbs are the length of my legs. It''s alright though. I do healing in druid form anyway. Cluck here only managed to get his Horse-Riding up to level 4, so he''s one level away from being able to ride proper horses. And Bambs... Well, you know how it is. Life of a Demolisher.'' ''Well, yeah. I would have gotten to level 5, but too bad, we were kicked out of the dungeon way too early for me to level it up!'' Cluck said, while glaring at Bambsie. ''Hey, lay off me, alright? You wanna taste a dynamite of your own donkey''s shit in your mouth, huh?'' Bambsie replied. ''Hey, hey, HEY! Stop it, you guys. People are staring. C''mon, let''s go into the church.'' I said, shushing them all at once. We climbed up the steps and entered through the front doors. The prayer hall was huge. Candles on chandeliers were hung down from the rafters and were giving a warm glow to the entire hall. Each footstep echoed off the dusty walls, and the sunlight from outside made the images on the tinted windows look alive. Some priests were shuffling about with tomes in their hands. I wasn''t really a religious guy, but I could feel the strong conviction by the people who live in this church. A monk came up to us and bowed. ''Esteemed guests, are you followers of the Church of Freya?'' I could lie to a million people, but not to someone of religious faith. ''No, dear monk. We come as travelers searching for a certain one priest. I would go so far as to call him a rogue priest. Do you have any idea where he is?'' At this, the monk grew angry. ''No, I most certainly do not! That man is a blasphemous piece of filth that is never allowed to step into this church again! He preaches against the very ideals that he was taught! I am sorry, but I do not wish to talk about him. If you have no other business, please leave. You are not the first ones to come here looking for him, and I doubt you will be the last.'' With that, he shuffled off furiously. I could only raise an eyebrow at his reaction. The rest of the gang was silent. Even Bambsie did not make any comment. We exited the church and sat down on the steps. ''So.. That''s that. Well, at least there''s still the school''s anniversary tomorrow.'' The three of them turned around and looked at me. Obviously, I was missing something. ''What?'' I asked. ''You didn''t hear? Oh right, you weren''t around then. The school''s not holding the anniversary in the game anymore. Well, at least not until the missing banner has been found. Someone stole the Gloucest Castle''s banner, and without it, the castle is not willing to open its doors to the public. They deem it as public humiliation to open its gates without having a banner. So until the banner''s been found, the school will not be able to find another friendly castle to hold the anniversary. They have agreed to hold it on the 30th of this month though, which is the actual date of the anniversary, if the banner''s found. So this means we get to skip school on a school day!'' Cluck said. At this, I was shocked beyond words. ''I told you, he''ll lose it. This is his only chance to meet Vanessa in the game, and it''s gone.'' ''Hey, hey, don''t talk anymore. Look at him. He''s as still as a statue.'' ''Hey, Crow. You alright?'' I was definitely not alright! First of all, I had to go through some extremely uncomfortable process of getting here. Then I had to see Vanessa in that identifying shop, and miss talking to her by seconds! And now my only chance left to meet her is destroyed by some joker who decides to steal the castle''s banner?! My eyes must have been burning fire then, for all three of them stepped back warily. But, all hope was not lost. If I can find the thief, then the event can still go on! ''Alright guys. Let''s find the banner. Screw it. Since we got nothing to do here anyway.'' We all agreed to meet back here the next day, where we would begin looking for clues to find the banner. Before I logged out, I whispered to Connor, to check on his progress with the missing priest. ''No luck, my man. The Council directed us to the City of Avialone, where he was last seen. But when we reached there, he was gone! Teleported to Serabourg, where you are right now I believe! Did you see him?'' ''Nah, he was gone too, before I could reach him. Apparently, he''s hated by the church now. For something about preaching against what he was taught. No idea what it meant.'' ''Well, yeah, apparently he''s been teaching Holy magic to people without Faith. It shouldn''t have been possible, because we were all taught that Faith was required to use Holy spells. The church has condemned him for that. They believe what he is preaching is not Holy magic, but some other form of demonology. In any case, I would still like to meet him too. I know you would too. He can teach you some really devastating Holy spells.'' ''Really? Hmm. If I have Holy magic in my arsenal, man, the things I could do. Anyway, thanks man. The robe you gave me was excellent.'' ''Yeah sure, no problem. Glad it worked out for you. Oh by the way, we learnt in Avialone that this priest... Well, he only had one friend that''s still alive. I forgot his name, but apparently, he''s some head of a library back in the Forest.'' The moment I heard that, something struck my heart so hard I blanked out for a second. ''Ah yes, I think his name was Ghanda. You know him? Felix says you should, since he''s pretty famous.'' MASTER, WHAT THE F***********!?!!? Next Chapter? Spell 09 : The Conflagration Spell 09 : The Conflagration I logged in early the next day, and just as I expected, I found all my friends offline. Those pigs usually don''t bother setting alarm clocks to force themselves to be on time for things anyway. Benedict, for one, has thrown 3 alarm clocks that his mum bought for him out of his window so his family decided it was useless getting him alarm clocks. The marketplace was even more lively today, since today was a Saturday. Players of all races walked about, asking for this and that. I followed the crowd, pausing occasionally to look at interesting wares. Up ahead, the crowd parted where there seemed to be some sort of performance going on. Naturally, I went ahead to have a closer look. A ring of onlookers formed up around a lone performer, who was evidently, a troll. Instinctively, I clenched up my fists to prepare a spell but before I could do anything, his performance began. First, he held up three huge rings and with scarcely any effort, threw them up. The rings spun up to the sky, and neatly arranged themselves into a single row. To this, the crowd gave applause. I merely smiled, sensing levitation magic being used. The troll began brandishing his staff around and after a series of complicated twists, he pointed his staff towards the first ring. It burst into flames while spinning, turning into something like a flame wheel. Next, he pointed to the second ring. Ice immediately covered up the ring and as it spun, snowflakes fell from the edges of the ring. Lastly, the troll pointed his staff at the last ring, and it cackled with electricity. The crowd broke into applause again. The troll held his staff low, clearly not finished with his act. I looked at him expectantly. With inhumane speed, he twirled his staff and swung it down. All three rings collided in the center, forming a single ring that was frozen with ice and burning with fire at the same time with electricity running around it! This, I was deeply impressed. The crowd cheered and applauded loudly. It was a sight to behold! I clapped along too, while studying his work. Clearly, this was no second-rate magician; at first it seemed like he was using Invocation abilities, but as I looked closer at his ring, I realised he was using another method to blend all three elements together. First, he made two rings disappear, and the one left behind he set it on fire, freezing it with ice and shocking it with electricity at the same time on equal thirds of the ring. As a result, while the ring spun at a great speed, the effect created was similar to blending ice, fire and electricity together. At the same time, he must have used some spell-strengthening ability, like Mana Manipulation, to strengthen all three elements at the same time so that one does not cancel out the other. This alone takes tremendous effort already. He was beginning his next act. The troll had an array of rocket-shaped objects placed right in front of him. After gesturing the crowd back to a safer distance, he began his dexterous twirling again. Like the rings before, he pointed his staff at each rocket, and with loud bangs, fireworks were launched into the sky. It did not end there though. Each flare and spark did not die out; instead they flew together in the sky and coalesced into large, fiery flowers. Every hue of color was present and it was a spectacle to behold. The crowd cheered again, clearly demanding more. The magician did not disappoint. With a wave of his staff, the fiery sparks flew around and formed images. First, they formed a face of a beautiful Human girl. Then the crowd were shouting for what they wanted to see. The king''s face appeared. Then came an image of Mjollnir, the legendary hammer-type weapon in the game. A full-bodied dragon appeared next. My eyes lit up at the wonder of the magic displayed right in front of me. The troll was smiling to himself. It seemed the final act was coming up. He waved his staff around his head repeatedly and the fireworks flowed along like the Milky Way above him. Soon, the sparks were aligned as though they were constellations in the night sky, setting the stage for a vision to be played. Sure enough, as we gazed into the scene forming, we could see a battle forming. As some members of the crowd shouted excitedly, others were clueless as to what this battle was. From the gathered whispers from the crowd, I found out that this was the legendary battle of Huoduo. Apparently, in the Oriental part of the continent, warlords raged wars against each other in order to claim bigger territories. This was one of the most famous battles because this was where all the heroes of that part of the continent clashed in deadly duels. As we watched the sparks forming the battle, we were all enthralled by what was right in front of us. The troll had managed to somehow reanimate the sounds of the battle into his performance and we were all heckled by the blood-curling war cries from the battle. When it ended, the sparks dispersed and giving one final sparkle before they all died out. The troll bowed deeply, and the crowd gave their greatest cheer yet. Everyone threw coins into his cloth bag, which was initially empty but now full to the brim. I threw in 3 gold pieces, having enjoyed his way of handling magic. At that moment, I felt a powerful presence searching into my very core and I looked up, only to see the troll magician resting on his staff while he looked at me. I slowly looked up, and returned his gaze. He tipped his top hat down and at that moment, the crowd closed up. I pushed my way past the people and when I came out of the crowd, he was gone. His bag had vanished too. Oh well. I thought I could get him to teach me something... I went to the church again and waited in the small clearing behind it. We did agreed to meet here at noon today, but clearly none of them knew the concept of punctuality. As I grew bored of waiting, I thought I should try out my new spell and see how powerful it actually was. I choose a small patch of grass as my target. ''Cast Sunflare!'' A single pillar of concentrated heat shot down directly from the sky vertically downwards into that particular patch of grass. The area got burnt pitch black and a small crater was formed. Clearly, this spell meant heavy Fire business. Let''s see what I''ll get if I Invoke it... ''Cast Luminous Light!'' ''Cast Sunflare!'' I figured using this combination of spells to Invoke was the safest. I couldn''t risk having Sunflare hit myself as I hold onto something like Frost Bolt. At least, I could threw that ball of light out... *DING*
[p=center]Gained new spell : Lights of Heaven! Lights of Heaven Beginner Level 1 You summon from the heavens swords of fiery light that pierce your enemies, holding them in place. To break out of stasis, your foe must break all the swords. Breaking of swords deals damage to the foe. Number of swords summoned depends on level of Luminous Light. Damage received from breaking each sword depends on level of Sunflare. Mana-cost : 750 Cool-down : 600 seconds[/p]
Not bad, this spell will help to turn the tides against a single, powerful foe. I suspect this spell is a remodel of a typical magician''s act where the magician inserts himself into a box, and his assistant will run the box through with swords. ''Bravo, bravo, mon! Dat be umpressive, young''un of Ghanda!'' A heavily accented voice came from the rear. I turned around, and was surprised to see the troll magician from earlier, with his bag slung over his shoulders. I noticed, his bag was now considerably less full. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ''Aye, I''ve been seeing you, mon, at me magic show just now and hoodathunk it? I seen the Mark on you, mon. You be offspring of young Leyla now?'' ''No. I am merely just Ghanda''s apprentice.'' ''Nay, mon. You be apprentice no more! You magician of ya own might when you got that ring!'' This guy knows Leyla and Ghanda? He must be another mage of a higher calling then! Could he be...? ''What are you doing here?'' I asked. ''Here? Mon, might be I ask you da same question, ya? Dis be my rest grounds. I be closing my eyes and sleeping on dem tree when my eyes see the bright light. Mon, you called the heat from the sun, no? Dat is powerful magic, indeed. Though, not as powerful as I!'' He then laughed. ''Who are you? And how do you know Ghanda and Leyla?'' ''Me, mon? Aye, I be knowing them since while back. We be going way back. But I never forget, mon, I be owing Ghanda a favour when he helped me out of pinch once! Pity, I nay be visiting dem ''cos their people be hating us trolls! I could nay been setting a foot in dat damned forest! But I could repay the debt I be owing to you, mon! Fortune smiles on us today, mon!'' ''I am grateful for your offer, but I must decline. The debt you owe is to my master, not me.'' The troll chuckled, then took out his staff. ''Pish! Ghanda may be da one I be owing da debt to, but he would learn nothing from me! What I know, he knows better! I be repaying no debt if I be doing him a service and he gains nothing! You, mon, on the other hand have much to learn from me!'' ''Alright, then. I see your point. I do have a question to ask though, which has been bugging me ever since. Are you the priest that everyone has been talking about?'' ''Priest? Dat be my old calling, mon. The spirits abandoned me when I was young, mon. I could nay be shaman even if I wanted to! The path of the druid nay excited me. So I chose to be da priest! So priest I became. But disappointed I was to become too, mon. The church taught me nothing but lies!'' ''Lies?'' I asked. ''Lies, indeed! All of dem! It is said one uses spiritual force to aid one''s allies, but if dat be so, why do priests and paladins still be using mana to cast Holy spells? And why is it that the holy spirits abandon you when you run out of mana to be healing your allies? If da holy spirits nay be wanting to heal, you should be using Faith to call upon them, and not da magical essence that which be mana! The church be scared dat I teach their secrets, but they just be scared I expose their lies!'' ''Come, now! I be blessing you with Holy affinity. And after dat, I be teaching you da real use of Faith!'' *DING*
[p=center]You have gained new trait : Holy Affinity You are able to cast Holy spells as though they are elemental spells.[/p]
''Listen, mon, for I shall repeat no further two times! Remember what your master has taught you? Dat it be through the mage''s will that spells be cast? I be adding on something to dat! There be two ways of empowering your spells with your will! One is with Intelligence, the other be with Faith! You magicians be casting spells using your wit and Intelligence. Using your knowledge, you know what spell be cast and your cleverness be dat source of will you need to cast your spell. For us priests and paladins, it be different! Right enough, we be using Faith to empower our will, to cast spells with conviction to smite our enemies and heal our allies! We do not possess the Intelligence you mages have, but we be using our Faith to give ourselves strength and conviction to fight and cast spells! When our Faith be stronger, we trample on those with weaker convictions!'' I took a while to absorb everything he was saying, especially with his annoying troll accent. So basically, what he was saying was that magic users can be split into two kinds. One was the mages who uses Intelligence to add spell power into their spells and thus causing their spells to dish out damage. The other one, like the priests and paladins, uses Faith to add conviction to their abilities and spells. In other words, Holy spells, in essence, do not require Faith to be cast. It was just that the church relied on Faith so much that they misunderstood its use, thinking that only their school can use Holy magic when they too fail to realise that without mana, they are also unable to cast any spells or use any abilities. As long as you have mana, you can cast any type of spell. You just have to use either Faith or Intelligence to empower it. This was also why he, as a priest, could cast elemental spells like the ones he used in the performance just now. ''I understand now. Thank you for imparting this knowledge to me. I shall make wise use of it.'' ''Dat be music to da ears, mon. The hour is upon us, mon. I be leaving before the church realises I am here, mon. Ahh, before I go, I be giving you this staff o'' mine. I picked it up on my travels here. It be nothing but a toy to me. It rests better in your hands instead, mon.'' *DING*
[p=center]You have gained new item : Monkgar''s Staff The troll, Monkgar, picked this up while he was in the Shadoroon Village. The staff does not have much magical potential on its own, but a bit of Monkgar''s power still lies in the staff, making it more powerful. Restrictions : Level 20, 50 Intelligence or 50 Faith Stats : + 10 Intelligence, + 10 Faith, + 15 Wisdom, - 25% Casting Duration, + 5% Spell Power Note : Casting Duration does not affect Mana Manipulation.[/p]
Alright! New gear! Just what I needed! Although I do not have much use of the Faith stat, the rest of the stats were pretty decent. At least now that I have a weapon, I have better control over my spell trajectory. Previously, it was difficult to aim using just my palms but at least now with a magic weapon, it will be easier. Just then, the guys logged in one by one. Apparently, they were late because they all decided to grab some lunch at the mall opposite the school before playing the game. Benedict was supposed to ask me along too, but like his alarm clock, he probably threw his responsibility out of the window and forgot about it. ''So... Crow. Sorry we''re late, but... It wasn''t intentional I swear!'' Saber said. ''Well yeah, after we waited at the mall for you and Benedict for half an hour, we thought you two wouldn''t be coming. We texted you both too. So we headed to the food court and honestly, you should have seen the dumbfounded looks on our faces when we saw Benedict already there with a plate of Japanese curry waiting impatiently. Anyway, Jay and I got our food and we sat down together at the table. As we were eating, I asked Benedict why you weren''t coming and from one look at his stupid face we deduced he completely forgot about asking you this morning. So yeah, lunch was apparently more important for him.'' Cluck said. I took a deep breath, and exhaled. Rather audibly. Like you know, the pissed kind of audibly. ''Hey Crow, I''m sorry alright! I really am! I mean, you can''t blame me! They suddenly aired a television special of Doraemon at 9am thi-'' Bambsie bambled but I never really gave him the chance to finish. ''CAST FIRE STRIKE!'' Next Chapter? Spell 10 : The Teachings Spell 10 : The Teachings ''Alright, Bambs, heal up. We''ll set off for the castle once you''re done.'' I said, while beating off the magic residue off my hands. Bambsie was lying on the ground flat like a dead starfish, with his eyes closed while murmuring something to himself. Incidentally, that last spell I used on Bambsie was just the last one I needed to level up my Fire Strike to the Intermediate level. With the number of times I use Frostfire Bolt and coupled with the fact that Fire Strike was the first spell I learnt, it naturally hit the Intermediate level first among my other spells. *DING*
[p=center]You have leveled up your Fire Strike to Intermediate Level 1. 0% Level-up Bonus : Increased 30% Critical Rate![/p]
To be honest, I was not really interested in the level-up bonuses of my basic spells anymore. Since I''m using Invoked spells now most of the time, these level-up bonuses do not affect the eventual Invoked spell. All I care about is raising the level of the individual basic spells in order to make my Invoked spells more powerful since the potential of the Invoked spells are reliant on the level of the basic spells only. Besides, it is easier to level up spells compared to other non-combat skills because one has to constantly face foes stronger than him. Naturally, the spells used against these foes will level up the spell doubly faster. What I was more interested in was this. *DING*
[p=center]Codex Alert! The evolution of your first spell to the Intermediate level is a great feat! The Codex will now reward you with another spell! Spin the wheel, and determine the element of your new spell! ¡ý Fire Water Lightning Earth Holy Shadow(locked) Wind Arcane Gravity [/p]
''Spin!''
[p=center]The element of your new spell will be Earth. You have gained a new spell : Boulder Smash! Boulder Smash Beginner Level 1. 0% You call upon the forces of the Earth to lift a solid rock boulder from the ground to smite your enemy! May stun on impact. Mana-cost : 75[/p]
The moment I got this spell, I felt a surge of excitement. If I''m not wrong, Invoking this spell and Sunflare would give me... ''Cast Boulder Smash!'' ''Cast Sunflare!'' ''Invoke!'' *DING*
[p=center]Gained new spell : Meteor (Unique Invoked) Meteor Beginner Level 1 From the cosmic galaxies you direct a flaming meteor to crush your enemies from the sky above! The meteor will roll and crush enemies, leaving a trail of fire. Initial impact damage and fire trail damage per second is based on the level of Sunflare. Initial stun duration and roll distance is based on level of Boulder Smash. Try not to use when under a shelter or in a structure. Or you''ll taste quite a lot of ceiling debris. Mana-cost : 800 Note : This is an Unique Invoke. Unique Invoked spells are a blend of spells that complement each other that when combined give an even stronger Invoked spell. [/p]
EUREEEKAAAA! My favourite spell ever! I played many games, but nothing else gives me more thrill than summoning a crater from the sky to hit dumb-struck enemies! But in all my excitement, I forgot I was around people. ''Erm, Crow, a little explanation please?'' Saber said, raising an eyebrow. ''Yeah, you little shit. You found some hidden class right? That ain''t any normal spell I''ve seen in the videos.'' Cluck said. Well, I guess it''s time to tell them the truth... ''Well, I wasn''t lying to you guys when I said I''m a mage. Just a more... Powerful one. I can combine spells to make them more potent. That''s all really. Combined with my various bonus stat gains and plus the fact that I''m a High Elf, I deal more spell damage than average. But, my spells also consume a lot of mana and my HP is really paper. I just have great offensive abilities, that''s all.'' I said. The truth is, I wasn''t really completely honest with them. I''ve been doing a lot of thinking lately ever since I''ve received my class. I knew being a mage meant that on average, I''ll probably die after taking a few hits from foes. But what strikes me out as different from the rest of the mages, through whatever specialisations they may be, is that I have the freedom to create whatever spell I want. This meant that no one ability can truly counter whatever spell I dish out because of my unlimited versatility. To counter a fire mage is easy; just use water-based attacks. To counter any spell-user involves either silencing them, or burning out all their mana. But I''ve learnt silent-casting, so silencing me will not disable me. The only thing I truly have to fear is mana-burns. ''Huh. I see. Anyway, Bambs, how long are you gonna stay down there? He just threw a single spell at you and you''re already down. Grow some balls, please.'' Cluck said, prodding Bambsie with his foot. ''Just a little minute more. I''m enjoying the sun.'' Bambsie groaned. ''Well, screw you. We''re leaving.'' Cluck said, summoning a horse out of nowhere. Well, someone''s replaced his silly little donkey... ''Alright, Saber and I will go first. We''ve got greater mobility than you guys. Crow, try not to flame this idiot again. Come meet us at the castle once he''s up.'' ''Sure, no problem. See you in a while.'' I said. The two of them left, a saber and a knight on horseback. Meanwhile, I''m stuck here with an idiot that could potentially blow the world up if his Demolition abilities reached a high level. I sat down and summoned a little fire. Using my Cooking ability, I stirred up a bowl of Springy Noodles for him. ''Here, eat this. I used magic to control the fire, so this will taste better.'' I said, offering him the bowl. Bambsie sat up immediately, his nose sniffing the air. When it comes down to food, all was forgiven with this guy. He slurped his noodles while I sat quietly, looking into the fire. I thought back to the time when we all first met. I was really unpopular then. In the class, I sat alone and hardly talked to anyone because I was more of an introvert. As a result, I usually topped the class in grades because no one distracted me. But that made me even more unpopular because everyone thought I was just being selfish by not sharing whatever I learnt with the rest. Additionally, I was really clumsy. During classroom duties, I spent most of the time cleaning up the additional mess I made rather than actually cleaning up the classroom. Other than school, my whole life was all on gaming. Then, I met these guys. Funny enough, it was in a 7-11, the convenience store. Jay and Keith told Benedict that they were going to treat him a Big Gulp for being the good friend he was. Dumb and innocent Benedict naturally followed them into the store, cheering and whooping at the luck he had. So Jay and Keith got him to take the Big Gulp cup and told him to choose whatever drink he liked from the Big Gulp dispenser. The moment Benedict pressed the dispenser to get his drink, Jay and Keith immediately dashed out of the store, running for their lives'' worth! I could still remember the look of horror that dawned on Benedict''s face when it happened. His Coke was overflowing onto his hands but he didn''t seemed to notice. He ran to the door and opened it, shouting at the guys. ''HEY! WHERE ARE YOU GUYS GOING? AREN''T YOU GONNA TREAT ME?'' I was still standing at the confectionery section, watching all this with a bemused expression. Benedict came back to the store with the Big Gulp still in his hands. He was clearly dismay with what just happened. Apparently, thinking that he was getting a treat, he had left his wallet in the classroom so he basically had zero cash on him at hand. In other words, he was f***ed. Of course, I could not leave him in the lurch, so I helped him pay for the drink. He was extremely grateful, and from then on we became friends. ''Hey, let''s go. Man, those noodles were good! Where did you learn cooking? I wanna learn it too!'' Bambsie said, breaking my thoughts. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ''Nah, I''m not gonna tell you. You and fire should really stay far, far away from each other. You might blow up some pretty good salmon that could have been great food.'' I said, getting up and putting out the fire. We left the clearing and traveled towards Gloucest Castle. It was quite a distance from the capital, and we met a lot of travelers along the way. Most of the higher level users were riding on various mounts along the road. I watched with them envy. I added ''Get a decent-looking mount'' to my list of goals I have for this game. Pretty soon, we reached the castle gates, where we found our path blocked by two guards. ''Halt, this castle is now closed to outsiders. We do not entertain anymore visitors.'' ''Pardon us, but we mean no intrusion, good sir. Have you seen a knight and a druid enter the castle?'' ''We have seen people similar to those you mentioned using the roads ahead, but none have come this way.'' Where have those two gone to? We did not have long to wait. There were two, no three, figures approaching. Sure enough, it was Saber and Cluck on horseback with a figure behind him. The hooded stranger nodded to the two guards, who saluted and proceeded to open the gates. Cluck beckoned to us, and we entered the castle gates. Gloucest Castle was really old, though not as old as other monumental structures I had seen in the Forest of No Return. From the gates to the entrance of the castle was a roadway of gravel. On either sides of the gravel were open grass fields. These grass fields were enclosed by walls of neatly-trimmed bushes, forming a garden of some sort. Along the way were stone pavements that led to different parts of the garden and there was a fountain to the south. I supposed this was where the anniversary was going to be held. We walked and entered the castle. The interior of the castle was grand. Oil paintings were hung along the walls of the open hallways and the floor was completely carpeted by exquisite silk. Stools made of oak were placed along the hallways, as though suggesting people in the castle to sit on these stools to admire the paintings. I could see why something as trivial as a missing banner could cause such an uproar in this castle. They cared so much about their artistic possessions that now and then maidservants could be seen polishing even the frames of the paintings. Prestige was definitely important in this place. Even the scented salts mysteriously placed within the walls of the hallways perfumed the place with scents of aged chalk. What caught my attention was that this castle possessed magic. Very feeble, but there were traces of it along the walls. We walked down the hallway and entered an audience chamber of some sort. There was a round table with chairs that had backs as tall as giraffes. These we sat down on while the hooded figure whispered something to the maidservant, sending her away. He then took a seat himself. ''Relax, and make yourself at home. I sent her for some tea. Now, it is good to see you, Mr Julius. As to you too, Mr Benedict.'' The hooded figure said. The voice is familiar. Almost as though he is... ''Mr Ken, is that you?'' I asked. ''Astute as always, just like in class. I would not count on you to miss anything.'' He laughed, then proceeded to remove this hood, revealing a middle-aged man with slightly graying hair. Mr Ken was one of the mathematics teacher in the school and due to his teaching experience, he handled students well. He was popular with them, and everyone consulted him when they had problems, be it academic-related or not. Strangely enough though, no one really knew that much about him. Just then, the maidservant came in with the tea pot, and poured everyone a flowery-scented liquid. ''Please, enjoy the tea. It tastes a little like chamomile, but has a little mint to it. Now, on to business. First, let me introduce myself in this game. I am known as Redrow. Please address me as such, otherwise the NPCs in this game will sound confused when you use my real name. Also, I''m given to understand you all are known as Bambsie, Cluck, Saber and Crow?'' He said. We all nodded. ''Alright. I know why you are here, as Cluck has taken the liberty to track me down in the citadel to ask me for help. How he even knew my IGN in this game is a mystery, but no matter. The situation is like this, as the e-mail the school sent you has already explained. This castle, though under the control of the school guild, cannot be opened to the public when even one of its prized possessions is stolen. Seeing that the castle banner clearly represents the castle, it is one of the most important possession to this castle. Even though the school guild has expressed it is not bothered by the missing banner, the NPCs of this castle have indicated that they would refuse to work should the castle gates be opened forcibly by the guild.'' ''Now, the theft was done by an accomplished burglar of some kind. Even though the castle has scrying crystals all over the castle grounds for surveillance, none managed to pick up the intruder. We have looked through the footage captured by the crystals, but we have found nothing. If you wish to look through the crystals, you may do so, but I do not think you may find anything else. Maybe you could find one or two clues we left out.'' ''Definitely. We would like to inspect the crystals please. Also, is it possible for us to do a little snooping around?'' ''I''m afraid not. That I cannot allow for I''m afraid that the NPCs in this castle might revolt against us. You are, however, allowed to stay in the castle for 5 days at most, since you are all automatically a part of the school guild because you are all students. Now, follow me to the scrying room please.'' We finished the tea, and got up to move to the scrying room. We arrived at yet another chamber that had nothing except curtains and a giant crystal ball floating in the center of the chamber. Clearly, some gypsy must have designed this room... ''Now, I will replay the surveillance from the room in which the banner was placed. Afterwards, I will leave you guys to discuss whatever details you may have noticed. Look into the crystal ball please.'' We obliged. At first there was nothing, then there were swirling mists in the orb. When the mists cleared, we saw a chamber that was elaborately furnished. This was probably the throne room, where the old king held his court. At the front of the room was a throne, and behind it, was the missing banner. Nothing happened for a few minutes, then all of the sudden, black smoke clouded the crystal ball''s vision. Nothing could be heard except for the hissing of the smoke being released. Afterwhich, we heard a door slam and all was quiet. The black smoke thinned out, eventually revealing the room again. This time however, the banner was missing! ''That is all. Now, given the special circumstances set, the guild has taken on the special quest to find the missing banner. You are all able to participate as well.'' *DING*
[p=center]Guild Quest Received! The Quest of the Missing Banner! Without the castle''s banner, the castle cannot be opened to the public. Find the thief and reclaim the banner! Quest Difficulty : C Failure : The castle will automatically design a new banner, and will reset its current ownership. [/p]
We all accepted the quest. Now, here was a search and reclaim quest! It had a difficulty of C because there were no clear objectives laid out so we were bascially on our own. My thoughts were already racing, piecing the information together bits by bits. Already, I had a rough idea of how the theft was carried out. Alright, time to get the anniversary down on the road! Next Chapter? Author''s Note : Hello again, everybody! I really appreciate the new format that the website has created for us writers to draft our submissions on. It is much easier to variate our writing forms now, with the font size and everything. Thought I''ll play around with the colours a little in this chapter! Anyway, I chose one of the ideas you guys gave me in the comments about the spells you suggested, which evidently, is Meteor! Also, I added a little reflection about Julius'' life in this chapter. It may sound a little too dumb to be true, but that really happened to one of my friends in reality! Though, in reality, the poor guy did pay for the drink himself. Anyway, I guess some of you have read Jinxmon''s work of Ragnarok. I''m not sure if he has mentioned this little escapade in his story, but yeah, I''m one of his friends in reality. I figured I should write this ''P.S.'' section first, just in case he really did mention this story, and you guys come flame me for copying his work or something :-/ :-/ That''s all folks. Cheers! Spell 11 : The Meeting Spell 11 : The Meeting So. Given that all the scrying spheres within and outside of the castle failed to pick up any signs of the thief, this meant that the thief must have had some sort of invisibility or a certain ability to mask himself from magic. Once hidden, this thief must have infiltrated the castle either in the day and hid it out till nightfall or he must have found some way to enter the castle undetected when security had tightened. Sneaking in during the day would have been more likely, since it was the less risky option. Once inside the castle, it was easy for him to enter the throne room to steal the banner. The thief must be someone who had entered the castle on countless times in order to be so familiar with the routines of the castle staff. Otherwise, he could not have known at that time that all the servants were having night snacks in the kitchen, and that the hallways were all empty. He must have had an accomplice. Or he could even be one of the members of the castle as well! If the thief is indeed one of the guild members or the castle staff, this clearly was sabotage! But why...? Another thing I could not figure out was that black smoke that smoked up the entire throne room. The hissing emitted gave clues that a smoke bomb was used, likely one of a rogue''s or hunter''s design. Clearly, the thief had proven himself capable of shielding himself from any of the scrying spheres, so why was that black smoke still used then? Unless... But before I could come to any conclusion, a group of people entered the room. I recognised some of their faces, while others were hidden behind objects like masks and helmets. There was one face, however, that annoyed me the most. ''Woah! Is that you, Julius? Oh boy, such a surprise seeing you here! Never could have expected a loser like you to be playing this game!'' Like I said before, typical Tidus and his usual snide comments. I wasn''t that surprised in seeing him here though. He was the celebrated ''bad boy'' in school that every foolish girl loved. Good looks, good grades and typically filthy rich enough to buy his way into every girl''s heart, he was the epitome of charm. For him to be playing in this game, I wouldn''t be surprised that he paid someone to do all his homework and projects so that he could spend all his time playing this game. From the look of it, he seemed to have reached a decent level. ''Says the one who lost the position of Council Chairman to some other guy in the school. Shouldn''t you be preparing for your next Chairman election? Oops! Sorry, I didn''t realise you''ll be rejected too next year anyway, so there''s no need to prepare.'' I retaliated. That wiped off the smirk on his face. ''I didn''t lose; I chose to give it up to Dennis. It was a meaningless position anyway. Well, well. Look at you. A mage? And quite a low level one too. Sorry, Benedict, Keith and Jay, looks like you got yourselves a leech. Don''t get your hopes up guys, he''ll only become a slightly more useful at later levels.'' Tidus replied, clearly singed from my earlier remark. I was just about to make my response when Benedict got ahead of me before I could stop him. ''A leech? Slightly more useful? You gotta be kidding! Ju here will thrash you in a duel, anytime!'' There. He said it. Benedict had officially just sent Tidus a challenge on my behalf. Tidus looked at Benedict with wide eyes, and then broke out in laughter. His band of supporters all laughed along with him. They continued their mirth until Tidus sobered up and wiped his eye. ''Julius, challenging ME to a battle? Have you forgotten how he lost to me during the basketball inter-class games last year? And you want him to compete with me on a tougher scale? Surely, you jest! Fine! I accept! We shall have our duel in a reality''s month''s time. That should be enough time for him to prepare to lose in a less uglier way! HAHAHA!'' Tidus said, with glee in his eyes. This was it. There was no turning back. I had to pound this guy''s overbearing pride in once and for all. ''Sure. No problem. Let me know when you''ve decided a place for me to kick your ass. I''ll definitely be there. Bring your friends to watch too.'' I replied, almost nonchalantly. Tidus had obviously not expected me to take this so calmly. He opened his mouth again to say something, but thought better of it, and walked away in a huff with his band of endearing supporters. I watched him go without a word, bearing my eyes deeply at his back. I realised, as I thought deeply to myself, this was perhaps the first time I had stood up against someone, albeit admittedly it was Bambsie who issued the challenge on my behalf, but nevertheless I stood by that challenge. Reality me could never have gotten the courage to stand up against a much stronger person. Here in RoyalRoad, I was stronger. My abilities alone outshone most of the people in my level range. Furthermore, I could use Tidus'' underestimation of my ability against him, much like how I used Gabriel the Berserker''s attitude against him back in the Forest of No Return. However, Tidus is not a stupid person. Knowing fully well that this match could cost him his much desired fame and popularity should he loses, he would definitely come prepared to win, no matter the costs. I had best be prepared as well. During our ''friendly exchanges'', I had not noticed the increase in the number of people in the room. Apparently, Cluck had, while searching for Redrow, sent out invitations freely to everyone who played RoyalRoad in our school to take up the quest as well. All these people were probably the ones interested to take up the quest and were subsequently sent here to look at the footage as well. Redrow''s authority was probably limited, seeing that he could only allow a few people out of the entire school to participate in this quest. Most of them look like they''re in the high levels. I mean, just look at that knight! His armour seems decent, with those dragon tattoos all over. Wait, it looks familiar... I stared at the knight, recalling where was the last place I saw him. His helm concealed his entire face and seemed to be the leader of another band of players from the school. ''Crow, hey buddy, I think you should rewatch something from the clip here.'' Cluck called from the sphere. I walked towards the sphere where Cluck was standing. He played the footage from the start, then paused it after a few seconds in. ''There! Look at those creases! The whole entire room is carpeted, so if someone were to be standing on the carpet, there would be creases along his feet where his body weight is exerted on the carpet, right? So then, why did he still use the black smoke to cover himself? Was there something in the room that could give him away? Man, this is confusing.'' Cluck whispered as he scratched his head. ''Yeah, it sure is. I need to take a look into the room myself. But Redrow''s already said no, so...'' I said, my voice trailing off as I suddenly had an idea. Of course! Mistcloak! What was I thinking?! I could sneak into the room myself at night, and do my own snooping using Mistcloak! Now that the banner was gone from the throne room, it would likely be unguarded. In fact, security may have been tightened in other parts of the castle instead. It would not be too difficult for me to do my own investigations. Just then, Redrow entered the room with a bunch of other people, most of them teachers that I recognised, as well as the school principal. He stood forward and cleared his throat. ''Alright, most of you are here. Right, I know you guys do call me Principal Palmer back in Rose High, but do address me as Palm here in RoyalRoad. I would like to thank you all for stepping forward to investigate this case. I would have encouraged the whole school to participate in this, but as it is right now as Redrow has informed me, the castle is supposed to be closed to most people, except to the leaders of the school guild which are incidentally your teachers in Rose High who play RoyalRoad. Redrow did not wanted to risk having any tension with the castle, so he could only invite a few of the students in, which happen to be only you people. Still, I am very grateful to all of you. Fann here, whom is Ms Fanny in reality, will explain to you the rules in the castle. Please do listen up.'' He said, indicating an extremely muscular Barbarian woman on his left. Well, she is the Head of Physical Education in school after all... ''Okay, guys. Welcome to the castle. Enough chitchat. You have all been given guest rooms each to sleep in. Breakfast and lunch will be at the dining room, while dinner will be at the great hall on the second level. Baths are mixed, no choice about that, ladies, but I still expect the guys to behave. Otherwise, I''ll personally discipline you myself. Curfew''s at the 22nd hour, so anyone caught after hours will be handed over to me as well. You are free to exit the castle at any time, but please do come back by nightfall. You may do your investigations within anywhere in the castle, except the throne room.'' She paused, and then continued. ''Look, I know it is stupid that you are unable to visit the scene of crime but we haven''t got a choice. The chamberlain was strict; he allows only the teachers to enter the throne room to do our investigations. Of course, if you need the teachers to do anything for you in the throne room, just do not hesitate to ask. I did not want to mention this too, but looks like I have no choice. You guys have only been given 7 days to stay here. Palm personally spoke to the castle''s chamberlain, and managed to extend an additional two days for you guys to complete the quest. If we fail the quest, this castle will reject us as its owners. We could take over it again, but I highly doubt they would continue to submit to us. Taking over this castle initially was part of our project as a school to strengthen the bonds you guys have in the school and we thought this place could be our own ''Rose High'' in RoyalRoad. The anniversary was supposed to be something like a house warming for everybody. So please, find the banner. Save this home of ours. We''ll all be helping you guys as well, but as you know, the teachers are all busy marking your exam scripts, so we do not really have much free time. Good luck to all of you.'' She finished her briefing, and withdrew back. Palm stood forward again. ''Fann has conveyed our wishes to you, so we hope you guys can really save the school. Well. That is all. It will be dinnertime in 2 hours, so you guys may carry on with what you want to do. All the guest rooms are in the third floor. You may choose your rooms freely. There are enough for each one of you.'' He finished, and left the room along with Redrow and some of the teachers. The room broke into discussions. Tidus left the room with all his friends, leaving me with my gang, the knight and his friends as well as another group of people whose leader was the chairman of the student council. He saw me looking at him, and he smiled as he waved. I waved back to him, and turned back to my friends. ''Alright, here''s the plan. Tonight, I plan on sneaking into the room with an invisibility spell of mine. I need one of you to stay here and observe everything from this crystal. I think that''ll be you, Cluck, you''re the most astute at picking up details among us. Saber, I need you to stand guard by the door to the throne room and help me distract anybody who comes into that hallway. Bambs, I need you to do the most risky thing. I would have picked anyone else in the world, but in this case, you''re the best one I can think of. I need you to help me set up a diversion of some sort. Use your explosives to create a commotion outside of the castle. Somewhere probably in the gardens. It must be something loud enough to divert the attention of all the guards in the castle so that we can all get into our positions while the attention''s away from within the castle. With luck, I should be able to find out as much as I want in the throne room.'' I said to them in hushed tones. They all agreed to the plan, albeitly Bambsie with a lot of reluctance. I knew he risked getting caught, but there was no choice. I needed the maximum amount of time I can get. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. The three of them left the surveillance chamber to pick their rooms. I hung back to watch the crystal again. After replaying it for 4 times, I realised I could do nothing more now. The footage provided too little details for any sort of investigations to be done. I looked around the room and realised only the mysterious knight and I were left in the surveillance chamber. He was standing next to one of the pillars, knocking on it with his gauntlets. I observed him with interest, noting how skinny he was for a guy. Something about this guy just makes me feel... I left the surveillance chamber and headed upstairs. As I walked, I noticed how all the maidservants moved about with their heads hung low, as though afraid of meeting my eyes. Was the castle really in such a state of despair? That really puzzled me. I chose a room that was next to Cluck''s own room and entered. Much like Sleeping Beauty''s own room in Beauty and the Beast, my room had a four poster bed with a wardrobe next to it. There was a small table against the wall with a mirror, like the ones in powder rooms where models and actresses do their make-up. There was only one window that looked out to the nearby Gloucest River. Like the rest of the castle, the floors were all carpeted. Just then, there was a timid knock on the door. ''Come in!'' I said. The door opened and a maidservant entered. She was very young, probably not older than fourteen years of age. She just stood there next to the door, clearly waiting for some instructions. ''Erm. Thank you very much, but I do not require anything at the moment. Actually, if it''s possible, could you bring me a pot of that delightful tea Redrow prepared for me in the surveillance room?'' I said, gently. I really did not want to scare off a maidservant on my first day here. She jumped at the mention of Redrow, and quickly left the room. So Redrow scares her huh. Funny, the guy''s so nice that even dogs refuse to bark at him in school! She came back a moment later, holding the tray shakily with a heavy pot and a cup. And just as I expected, her nervousness got the better of her and she let the tray slip. The pot smashed on the carpet floor and the hot tea spilled all over. She squealed in dismay and hurriedly dropped down to clear the mess. I stood up and rushed over to her. ''Hey, hey it''s alright! Don''t cry! Look, I can fix this!'' I said, looking at her already tear-fallen face. I picked up all the pieces of the pot and put them together in a pile, cutting one of my fingers accidentally. Using Enchanting, I molded the pieces together. With the porcelain melded together, I urged it with magic to remember and reform back to its original state. Slowly, the pot took form and was back to its original state. I took hold of it and gave it back to her. She looked at the pot with wide eyes, relief sinking back in her expression. ''There. Like I said. All fixed. Sorry, but I cannot do anything about the tea though. Be more careful next time, alright?'' She nodded thankfully and left the room with all the ceramics. Soon, she came back with another pot of tea, though this time she was more confident. She also gave me some bandages, which probably were for me cut finger. I gave my thanks, and she left the room. I took a nap until it was dinnertime, and I went straight to the great hall. The dining table was fit for kings, and it was already filled with food meant for a banquet. I took a seat next to Saber and the same maidservant immediately came forward to place a napkin on my lap. She then proceeded to pour grape wine into a goblet and handed it to me. I nodded gratefully to her and she smiled as she withdrew back in line with all the other maidservants, whom I guessed at this point, were all personal assistants to each and everyone of us. I looked up and down the table and found nearly everyone from earlier here. Dennis the council chairman was here with his friends. Tidus was sipping wine from his goblet, looking all dreamily that thrilled his girlfriends to bits. Only the knight was absent, though most of his friends were around. We all ate and discussed general things. I finished the meal, and the maidservant came forward with a bowl of clear water with leaves for me to wash my hands with. I took the napkin on my lap to dry my hands and as a group, I left the hall with my friends. Curfew had not broke in, so we went to my room to prepare for the mission later. ''Okay. We will not make a move until Bambs has made his diversion. So Bambs, you got the thing you need?'' Saber said, as he closed the door. ''Yeah, I think so. I rigged something to explode after 5 minutes, so I have all the time I need to get away from the scene.'' Bambs said gleefully. We were all happy with the plan, and Bambs left. Soon, curfew set in and we waited patiently for the signal. We did not have long to wait. There was a large explosion and the cracking sound of fireworks could be heard outside of the castle. We counted to 1 minute before we rushed out of the room. Saber and I headed towards the throne room while Cluck went straight to the surveillance chamber. I cast Mistcloak on everyone as we left the room. As we ran, we took care to hide behind pillars at every turn, checking for any guards running towards our direction. All was clear. Bambs'' diversion worked. Hopefully, he was okay. We reached the throne room, and sure enough, the corridor there was empty. I could hear Saber transform and the sound of flapping wings indicated that he flew off somewhere. ''Cast Mistcloak!'' I entered the throne room. The door was not even locked. Everything in the room was just like how I saw in the crystal. Judging from the viewpoint I saw from within the crystal, I looked towards the top corner of the room and felt a slight trace of magic there. So Cluck should be seeing this now. But wait. SHIT. I FORGOT TO CHECK IF THE SURVEILLANCE CAN BE DELETED. It was too late to regret now. I had to carry on with the mission and hopefully Cluck could find some way to deal with the records. I looked around the room with my magic senses stretched out to the maximum. However, I found nothing. Clearly, the thief did not use any magic. I felt the air with my fingers, but found no specks of black dust. The thief''s smokescreen was effective in removing its own trace. I walked over to the wall where the banner used to be, and to my surprise, I found a magic circle branded on the carpet right beneath where the banner used to be. It was extremely faded, but it was still active. Nobody saw it before because it was blocked by the throne from the viewpoint of the scrying sphere. Thanks to the hellish readings I did back in the Enchantium, I recognised the symbols of the magic circle. This was one drawn to purge any sort of buffs that came within the range of the magic circle. It was large enough to ensure that if anybody wanted to touch the banner, he or she must step into the circle. So this was why the thief had to use the black smoke! If he stepped into this circle, his invisibility would be broken! This was an important clue, one that could only be picked up by anyone who came to investigate this room. Clearly, the chamberlain must have had some ulterior motive to bar people from entering this room. The teachers might not have recognised this magic circle since none of them were mage classes, but someone like me could. I withdrew from the circle and was going to leave the room when I noticed something wrong with the throne. There were hand rests on the throne for the old king then to put his arms on to rest, and though there were two of these hand rests, only one of them had something like a ball for the king to put his palm on. The other was missing. Puzzled, I stepped forwards towards the throne but at the same moment, the door behind me flew open and Saber hissed. I turned around and saw him beckoning to the air, as though signaling for me to leave the room frantically. I retreated from the throne and went over to him. I put my hand on his shoulder and he jumped. ''Oh! There you are. Look, we have to go. Bambs just ran past this way, telling us to leave now!'' He urged. I cast Mistcloak on him, and on myself as well. From where he was standing, I could sense traces of my own magic so I used that to pinpoint his location. Taking care not to bump into him, we ran all the way back to the third floor. Guards were rushing about the castle, and quite a handful headed towards the throne room. Pretty soon, we reached our room and we collapsed inside, trying very hard to catch our breaths. Bambs was already there, and he was in a state worse than anyone of us. His hair was singed, and explosive powder was all over his face. It looked like he blew up his chestpiece armour too. ''Woah, what happened to you?'' I asked, in between breaths. ''Erm. Remember when I said I rigged my bomb to blow up in 5 minutes? Well... I kinda used the wrong fuse. So it blew up after 5 seconds. So yeah.. Anyway, lucky enough I was hidden in the bushes when the guards arrived. They said they were gonna check the throne room next, which was where you guys were, so I threw a stun grenade on them and while they were disorientated, I ran to you guys. Well, Saber saw me and he dropped down from the ceiling!'' ''YOU IDIOT!!!! Lucky you weren''t setting off a nuclear bomb blast or something or you could have killed yourself. Anyway, I saw him running frantically towards our corridor so I flew down in my bird form to stop him. Well, he panicked when he heard my voice so he launched a bomb at me. I took a hit and the invisibility broke. But he calmed down the moment he saw me.'' Saber said. ''Woah. What an eventful night. I just hope Cluck gets back safely...'' Just then, the door opened again, and Cluck strolled in. He chuckled at all our distressed faces and went to pour himself some tea. ''Nailed it. I deleted the records off the sphere so you guys are all safe. The guards saw me, but I told them I was disturbed by the noise so I came out to check. They told me to go back to my room, that''s all. Man, if you guys were half as confident as I was, you wouldn''t have needed to run a marathon!'' He said, while sipping his tea. ''Yeah, yeah, you deserve the award of Most Confident Man ever. Anyway, I found out why the thief had to use the smoking device. There was a magic circle near the banner, so whatever invisibility he used on himself would have broken the moment he tried to remove the banner. That smoke was his cover.'' ''Hmm. That must mean this guy must have entered the throne room before. Anyway, he probably can''t be any of the teachers because they did investigate the room but none of them recognised the magic circle. A person has to be a mage like you in order to recognise it.'' ''No, he could still be one of the teachers pretending not to notice the magic circle. The person we need to find is the chamberlain of this castle. Find out why he barred people from finding out the magic circle. Anyway, before I left the room, I saw something funny. The throne is missing one of its balls.'' The moment I said that, all of them laughed. ''What? I''m being serious here! I mean, one of the hand-rests is missing a globe. I''m not sure if it means anything though.'' ''Nah, it probably means that the throne is becoming less of a man.'' Saber joked. ''Ha Ha. Very funny. Let''s call it a night. See you idiots in the morning. I wanna sleep already.'' I said, and logged out. Alright! Looks like we found our first clue! I have to find some way to corner the chamberlain next... Just then, my phone lit up with a new e-mail. I opened it up and my heart almost leapt out from my mouth when I saw who the sender was. Vanessa had just sent me an e-mail. Next Chapter?
Sorry guys, no new spell this chapter! :( Spell 12 : The Coercing Spell 12 : The Coercing ''Vanessa! Dad''s getting pretty mad, sis!'' ''Coming once I''m done!'' Vanessa''s bedroom screamed nothing but ''typical teenage girl''. A queen size bed took up the middle portion of the room, and on the white-washed wall behind the bed, she had put up ivy-like wires of little lights and polaroid pictures of her and her friends. On her study table, more photo frames were lined up with photos of her family, though some were covered by a mess of her own hand-written paper notes she took during school lectures. Clad in a pink tank top with beige shorts filled with flowery prints, Vanessa sat on her bed with a laptop balanced on her thighs as her long legs stretched across her bed. A frown hung on her perfectly-shaped face as she browsed through the school''s website, looking through the different students'' profiles just for that one person. Before this, she had tried looking through the yearbook, asking around her friends and had even tried asking the teachers, though they refused to tell her anything about this person. ''He does look a little familiar... His name is Julius, isn''t it?'' She thought to herself as she furiously clicked her way through the website. She was just about to give up when she reached the second last page of profiles where she finally found what she was looking for. ''Ah! Got it! Now to just send him the mail as well.. What should I put in it? I don''t really know him actually...'' ''He''s cute though... The look he had on his face when he spurned off Tidus then had me there for a second. I don''t know what they were talking about previously, but the moment when I went in the room and he said those words determinedly... Wow. Most people don''t have that kind of tenacity.'' Vanessa thought to herself, as a grin spread across her face. She got to the e-mail page, considered for a moment before she started typing away... [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][/col][/box]
''Hey Julius! My name''s Vanessa! I don''t know if you know me, but I''m from Class 11S2! Like everybody else, I play RoyalRoad too! I was extremely bummed out when I heard the school''s anniversary was cancelled in the game! It would have been fun to see everyone''s avatar in the game and fight the secret boss monster afterwards in the secret tunnels! Anyway, my friend''s in the castle right now! He mentioned that you were one of the people taking up the quest to find the missing banner. I''m writing this e-mail to you as head of Dance Society to thank you for whatever you''re doing for the school! We came up with a dance to put up for the anniversary event, but because of the theft, all our efforts would be in vain. I really hope you and the others can find the banner soon! Thanks!'' Message was sent from Vanessa Lin at 2214hrs .
Thoughts sped through my mind as I read finished her message. I knew she must have used quite a lot of effort to find my e-mail address since I was such a nobody in the school. That got me feeling pretty thrilled. However, it sounded like she wasn''t in the castle though and was instead rooting for everyone in the castle from outside. Sleep caught up with me and I dozed off. The next morning, I found my phone on the floor and fortunately, there were no cracks. I yawned and got up to brush my teeth. After having my breakfast of toast and marmalade, I stepped into the capsule and logged on to RoyalRoad. As usual, I was the only one online since the rest of the idiots considered it a sin to be awake if the sun wasn''t fully up in the sky yet. I poured myself a cup of the leftover tea from the previous day. Just then, there was a knock on the door and the maidservant poked her head in again. I told her to come in. She had a message for me from the principal inviting everyone to be present for lunch as he had something to say. I told her that I would be there and she left the chamber again. It occured to me then how funny it was that the NPCs in this game were aware whenever players were in the world or not. Because of the time difference in the game and in reality, sleeping at night for 6-7 hours could easily cost you a single day in the game, since 1 hour in reality equates to 4 hours in the game. This meant that the sleep from last night had already cost me an additional 1 day out of the remaining 6 days we were all given to complete the investigations and find the culprit. I had to speed things up somehow. Today''s agenda was to find the chamberlain. Ever since coming into this castle, I have not seen that man at all. You would think that as chamberlain of the castle, he would have definitely been present as the teachers welcomed us to solve the case. His absence served only to raise more suspicion about himself. I left my quarters and headed for the great hall, where lunch was being served. Almost everybody was present, save my own group of people. ''Ah, Crow has arrived. I shall begin my address. Now, I believe most of you have heard of the commotion last n-'' Palm stopped, and cleared his throat. ''Pardon me, I mean the night before last. There was an explosion of some sort that was set off by a dynamite in the garden yesterday. Through the debris, we found traces of explosive powder. Though at this point now we''re still unsure of the identity of the culprit, we determined that the intent of the explosion was clearly to divert our attention. Fortunately, nothing else was stolen and no one was attacked. We checked the throne room but there was nothing we could pick up there too. Surveillance records could not be traced back however, which meant that they were either stolen or deleted off. We''re guessing that this was the work of a group of people. All of you were already offline by the time we regrouped back in the castle, so we''re also unable to put a finger down on anyone of you. Know this though, security of the castle has been tightened even further, but if you ask me, it''s like shutting the stable door after the horse has escaped. In any case, do be careful as you continue to carry out your investigations. That is all.'' Chairs scraped against the stone floor as people got up to leave. The maidservants came forth to clear the plates. My need for satiation in the game was low, so I sat down to eat beside Redrow, who was sipping some jasmine-scented liquid from his teacup. He acknowledged my greeting with a raise of an eyebrow. ''So, sir, any luck on the teachers'' side with the investigations?'' I asked. He put down his teacup and thought for a moment before answering. ''Not at the moment. I''m really not confident of our chances. Things are not really looking good for us.'' ''I see. Well, it is to be expected. I mean, if we''re not allowed to enter the throne room, then what kind of investigation is this where we probe into other places where the thief hasn''t probably even gone into?'' ''Precisely. But we have no choice over this matter.'' ''Yeah. This whole thing sounds fishy though. Actually, that''s why I''m here today. Do you know where I can find the chamberlain of this castle? I want to talk to him, see what he knows. Maybe I can even convince him to change his decision.'' ''Not a chance. The chamberlain himself has disappeared since a while ago. Guards didn''t see him leaving the castle though. He just vanished. If you ask me, that is weird.'' ''He disappeared? Wouldn''t that even make him more of a likely suspect in a period like now? But it doesn''t fit. NPCs won''t do something like that on their own accord.'' ''You never know, son. Events are happening on their own accord at such a rapid rate that this world is changing much compared to what it first was when the game was just launched. When you have AI that is so ridiculously smart, events may just manifest on their own accord.'' ''I see. Well then, that settles it. A pity that the school''s anniversary is going down like this... Would have been fun to take part in the fight against the secret boss though.'' ''Secret boss? What are you talking about?'' ''Wasn''t there supposed to be an event where we get to kill a boss in the somewhere under the castle during the anniversary?'' At this, Redrow suddenly got flustered. ''No! There''s no such event! There''s no secret tunnels either! Wherever you heard this from, it''s pure nonsense! I must go now. Good day to you, Crow.'' The moment he finished speaking, he immediately got up and left the hall. Feeling puzzled, I picked at the pieces of leftovers on my plate. Could Vanessa have gotten the information wrong somehow? But it couldn''t be! She was afterall the head of Dance Society. If there were any of such secret events, she would have known about them as a Head of a society for sure! Just then, I got a notification that Cluck had just logged in. I sent him a message, asking him to come to the great hall. Moments later, he came in and sat down next to me. His maidservant immediately stepped forward but he waved her away. ''Hey, what''s up?'' He asked. ''I got an email from Vanessa last night. I read it, but I didn''t find anything interesting. It was nice to receive something from her though.'' ''Yeah, you horny bastard. Imagine you getting excited over just a simple email.'' ''Oh shut up. Look, there''s another thing. She mentioned something about a secret boss event in the underground tunnels during the anniversary, but Redrow flatly denied it. You should have seen his reaction! It was as if he was scared of spoiling the anniversary for us!'' ''Did he now, really?'' Cluck seemed to think for a moment before he continued speaking. ''I don''t know if your sweetheart was right about the event, but I have been thinking a lot ever since you mentioned that little tidbit about the throne''s missing ball. I noticed how this castle''s occupants are extremely uptight about their art pieces. They treat any sort of blemishes on their artistic objects as though these blemishes were the work of the Devil himself and that they must be purged. Such fussiness within the castle''s inhabitants would not have stood for something like a missing ball. Either they couldn''t replace the missing ball or it was pr-'' ''Or it was probably stolen and cannot be recovered! My thoughts exactly!'' I interrupted, sensing that Cluck was on the same track as me. ''Yeah. But that''s not all. Any castle, be it in this game or in the real world, would have been designed with some sort of escape mechanism in order for the king to escape should the castle ever be on the brink of losing its hold. I couldn''t tell what this castle is equipped with, but from Vanessa''s hint, I''m guessing it''s underground tunnels. In fact, I believe our missing ball is the key to the underground tunnels. If you put everything piece by piece together, you know what this means right?'' The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. I had my answer right in my mouth. ''The banner''s underground! Right in the tunnels, if it isn''t destroyed yet.'' ''Exactly. It''s the safest place to be since no one really knows about it. You could explore every inch of this castle, but the entrance to the tunnels is probably in the throne room. There may be other entrances, but so far, from the surveillance I did through the crystal yesterday, I couldn''t find any hints of the other entrances. Right now, we have to find the chamberlain more so than ever. He is probably the only NPC alive that can tell us about it.'' ''See, that''s the problem. The chamberlain''s missing. Gone since we came, I reckon. Redrow just told me.'' ''He''s missing, eh? But he''s the answer to all our queries! Man, that''s bad. If we can''t find him, this castle''s going down with the rest of us.'' I nodded in agreement. We had to find this guy, and fast. There''s no telling what the thief might do with the banner now that the castle''s efforts were solely focused on finding that banner. I finished my beverage, and we got up to leave. Cluck headed back to the surveillance room while I went off in the direction of my quarters. The great hall was situated in a tower by itself, so there was a bridge that connected the tower to the main part of the castle. It was an enclosed kind of bridge, where there was a roof that extended along with the bridge made entirely of brick, much like the one in the Harry Potter movies. You could see out into the massive gardens and the incredible ocean beyond. I stopped for a moment to enjoy the view, and that was when I got attacked. A searing pain spread through my back as something sharp penetrated and retrieved my body at the same time. I could feel my limbs losing all their energy. I lost my balance and crumpled on the floor. I looked up and saw a cloaked figure standing over me. He raised his arm, with a dagger in his hand and struck down again, this time aiming for my throat. ''Cast Barrier!'' The shield blocked the impact and he was knocked back from the sudden impact of dagger against shield. The assassin was transfixed on the spot, clearly not expecting me to cast spells since the ability he used should have Silenced me, but thank God for silent casting. His hesitation was all I needed to get back on my feet. I took out Monkgar''s staff and prepared for a duel. I threw a FrostFire Bolt at him, which he easily sidestepped. He swung his dagger at me again, but I deflected it with my staff. It was a mock effort though; his attack swung sideways and ripped a hole in my Barrier near my arms. I launched another FrostFire Bolt at him, but he just leapt back. Damn these rogues! No wonder they are known as ''Mage-slayers''! I considered my options. Meteor or even Sunflare was out; the roofs above made sure of that or I could have easily pulverised him. Projectiles were out too since he was so agile. I couldn''t use Mistcloak too since the poison he used on the initial strike was still in effect and I could feel my life slowly ebbing away, which would dispel the cloak the moment I take periodic damage. That left me with one last Invoked spell. ''Cast Lights of Heaven!'' Swords of pure golden light appeared out of nowhere and flew straight at the assassin. He managed to outmaneuver 4-5 blades, but the remaining 5 blades caught up to his movements and etched themselves into his torso. He was paralysed. I had him. However, I knew I had only seconds. He had already broken one of the swords and all it did was make him grunt a little in pain. I charged up a FrostFire Bolt to a point I usually dared not reach and just at the moment before he broke the last golden sword, I launched the projectile at him. It hit him square on the head and he screamed in agony. I was panting by now; the quick succession of trading attacks with both magical and non-magical abilities was something I was not used to. However, he wasn''t at his last breath yet. He took out a smaller dagger and poured a foul green liquid on it from a crystal vial. I started preparing a Frostbolt but he was swifter; the dagger flew through the air. Its destination : me. I closed my eyes and braced for impact. I knew there was no escape from this since I could not really walk. Only, it did not reach me. The dagger hit against something with a loud metallic clank of steel against steel. I opened my eyes, and saw a long lance just right in front of my face. I looked back, and saw Cluck grinning at me. ''Just in the nick of time. Now you owe me, bitch.'' The assassin was outnumbered, and he was starting to panic from this new participant in the fight. Clearly, everything was not going according to his plan. He took out another bottle, but this time I was faster. Just like the imps back in the Forest of No Return, I launched a Fire Strike at his bottle. It exploded with a flare and the assassin was stunned. He came out of it soon though, but by then Cluck had already reached him. ''Sonic Lance!'' Cluck struck again with a ferocity I had never seen before. His lance, now surrounded by wind, struck viciously and rapidly at the rogue. However, the rogue managed to fend off the attacks with calculated parries and even managed to get in a few swipes at Cluck. How high is this guy''s level?! I knew that we were in trouble, even though we outnumber him two to one. Furthermore, the poison he used was too powerful; already my HP was at a critical point and Cluck''s was also steadily dropping. Just then, I suddenly felt a surge of life force in me and my HP was regenerating. I no longer felt the immobilization effects of the poison as well. I looked behind and saw yet another familiar figure. Saber was waving his hands around in a fluid motion, healing and dispelling the poison from us. The rogue knew he had no chance against three foes. He took out another vial and threw it at his feet. The moment it exploded, white fog clouded up the entire area. We coughed badly, trying to see into the fog. ''Cleansing Rain!'' We felt the patter of water on our skin as rain broke through the fog and cleared our vision. The rogue was still standing there, clearly dumbfounded. The rain summoned by Saber had washed away his invisibility too. ''Impale Rush!'' Cluck charged forwards and stabbed the assassin. By now however, the rogue''s fighting spirit was broken; he was giving up and hardly raised his dagger to fight. Cluck took him down with another few attacks, earning him a red mark on his head. We all knew what that red mark meant, but at this point now, it hardly mattered. Because during the fight when I caused his bottle to explode, the flare caused allowed me a brief glimpse at his face. The rogue was one of Tidus'' followers. I was pretty livid. To think that he would even stoop to such means... I stormed off from the battle scene and ran towards the quarters, seeking my revenge against the one who ordered the attack. Saber tried to stop me, but I pushed him away. I didn''t stop running until I got to Tidus'' chamber. I didn''t wait for Saber nor Cluck to catch up though I knew they were behind; I kicked the door open and walked in. Tidus was there with his gang, all looking pretty shocked at this sudden intrusion. ''Tidus, what the f***? Why would you do something like that? That''s pretty damn underhanded, even for someone like you!'' I lashed out at him. ''Woah, woah. You burst open my door, frighten all the ladies here and you ask me what''s going on?! I should skin you alive and ask YOU what is the meaning of this!'' He shouted back, standing up and going into a hostile stance. Saber and Cluck caught up just in time to hold me down. I struggled and fought against their hold but they were too strong. Before I knew it, Saber sprinkled some powder over my face and I felt my body becoming paralyzed. Saber carried me out of the room, while Cluck stayed behind to talk to Tidus. I was placed on the bed in my quarters and I stayed there paralysed for a while. After what seemed like eternity, Cluck came in and spoke something to Saber. Saber then came over to sprinkle some other substance on me. Immediately, I could feel my limbs again. I was about to go confront Tidus but Cluck held me down firmly. ''Relax, brother, it ain''t him. Tidus didn''t order his guy to attack you. Now, come have some tea. You must be feeling pretty shitty from the substance Saber put all over your face.'' Though I didn''t believe him, I relaxed and joined them at the table. The tea helped ease the numbness throughout my body. Man, druids really do have some lethal shit going on... ''Hey, Crow. Listen. After Saber drugged you, he brought you back here while I talked to Tidus. He didn''t believe me at first until I brought him to the surveillance room to watch the fight. He gave me his word that he had never sanctioned an attack like that against you. He also added that he would have liked to remove you from the game as fast as possible, but he did agree to fight properly with you in a month''s time so he never could have sent that guy after you. And besides, that rogue hardly hung out with Tidus. He was just someone Tidus agreed to let join his group in order to get close to one of Tidus'' girlfriends. That rogue was hardly around all the time during this time in the castle. So whatever the rogue did, he was doing it because of someone else''s orders.'' ''You mean, the rogue was attacking me to frame Tidus?'' I asked, in between drinking from the teacup. ''Possibly. After all, we do know the thief is a rogue, so maybe they knew each other. This could be one of their plans to force us quest-takers apart by adding tension into our ranks. Of course, it would have been best if he had eliminated you, but we saw to his demise instead.'' I sipped my tea slowly, letting everything sink in as I thought about the day''s events. Some serious business is going on around here. I need to find that chamberlain as soon as possible! Next Chapter? Spell 13 : The Shadows Spell 13 : The Shadows Another day had passed by in the game, and still there were no leads. Security around the castle had been tightened so much that we could virtually go nowhere within the castle. It was almost as if the castle itself did not want the banner to be found. Morale was running pretty low in the castle; most of the investigators seemed to have given up searching. Spirits were running low in my group too, but I was not about to let up. Whatever that was left to us now is to find an entrance to the underground tunnels, but no matter how we looked, there were just no hidden entrances. None concealed magically at least, or else I would have been able to sense them with my higher senses. The thing about leveling up Intelligence, one of the core stats in this game, is that you also cause yourself to develop the innate ability to detect magic. The higher your Intelligence, the stronger your ability to pick up traces of magic. I knew this would also lead to unlocking other hidden abilities, but I did not know what abilities just yet. ''C''mon guys. Think! Where else can we find the entrances?'' I asked aloud, encouraging everybody to get their brain juices flowing. ''Well, we searched everywhere we could think of. The king''s room turned out nothing, though that would have been pretty weird since the king would not be able to escape if he really did get targeted in his sleep.'' Cluck said with a frown. ''Might not have been nothing. Could have been blocked or removed or something. Well, surveillance room is out. Hallways are out. Bathrooms are all out, though I haven''t checked the girls'' one yet. Cluck might have. You could ask him.'' Saber said while grinning at Cluck. ''No, screw you. In this game, I''m a chivalrous knight. I don''t do things like that. Tidus might have. Ask him instead.'' Cluck replied. Just then, there was a loud growl in the room, followed by large gurgly sounds. Almost as if mini-volcano just erupted. We all looked at Bambsie, who coincidentally looked down at his stomach. ''Sorry. Stomach''s empty. Needs refuelling. Anyway, I don''t know why, but I seem to have ''Hunger'' as one of my stats. Says here that if I am either starved or full, depending on how high my Hunger stat is, I would get bonus abilities. Do you guys have it?'' He asked innocently. ''No. I''m pretty sure no one in this game other than you has that stat. The only ''Hunger'' I know is a basic need, not the stat. How the hell you would even come to have this stat puzzles me, but I suppose we could work better after some food.'' I said, thinking into the distance. Wait... There''s one place we haven''t checked yet... ''OF COURSE! Oh man, Bambsie, you''re a freaking genius! Guys! I''ll meet you in the grand hall later! There''s some place I need to check out first!'' I yelled as I leapt up and ran out of the room. It occurred to me that there was one place we didn''t check, which was the kitchens. We didn''t really think that the tunnels would originate from there, but come to think of it, the kitchens would have been a perfect place for an entrance, since it was near the basements and the cellars, where the castle has its stock items kept. I ran down all the staircases, earning myself quite a number of glares from all the castle staff, who did not really liked disorder about in the castle. Finally, I reached the bottom of the castle, panting heavily. Incidentally, the staircase led directly into the kitchen itself, where many delicious scents assaulted my very senses. Steam rose up from giant pots, which raised the temperature of the entire kitchen by a few degrees Celsius at least. People bustled about in white robes. Many of them wore white cloths over their heads, instead of the typical chef hats. For a moment, I was lost, caught up by the activities going on in the kitchen. Everyone was so busy with something; it would have been bad to even stop someone to ask something. But, time was running short and I had a lot more to lose if I dared not even stop a chef-boy from cutting carrots. I approached one washing the dishes by the sink and tapped him on the shoulder. He swung around so fast with the dish that I had to jump back or he would have sliced my head with the plate. ''What?'' He asked, irritably. ''Sorry to bother you, but do you know of any entrance here to the underground tunnels?'' I asked, looking at the dish in his hand. ''No.'' He replied curtly, returning back to his dish-washing. Well, okay. I''ll ask someone else then... ''Hey, do you know of any entrance to the underground tunnels?'' I asked, stopping a woman with burly arms carrying 3 crates. To my horror, she put down the crates, cupped her mouth and bellowed. ''HIE! ANYONE HERE KNOWS ABOUT ANY ENTRANCE TO THE UNDERGROUND TUNNELS?'' Immediately, movement in the kitchen ceased and all heads turned to our direction. The silence was absolute; you could hear a spoon drop. A moment passed, and the activities returned back to the kitchen. No one pretty much gave me nor the woman, whom I noticed was gone, a second look. I slouched against the counter behind me, and took a deep breath, feeling at loss. Here I was thinking that I could have solved the case already but nobody seemed to know anything. ''These idiots here don''t know nothing. *Hic* if you wanna know anything, I''m the one you should *hic* ask.'' A raspy voice said from behind me. I looked behind, and saw a small figure slumped against the floor in between two counters. From the looks of it, this man had probably not bathed in donkey years. His hair was completely unkempt and there was not a spot on him that was not dusty. His rags were all tattered and torn. In his hand, he seemed to be carrying an oddly-shaped bottle of some sort. Facial hair covered most of his features, and only his eyes could be seen. There was something weird about his eyes though. They were gold, and no amount of hair could have covered that gleam. I walked towards him slowly. I knelt down and looked at him questioningly, signalling him to talk. ''Sounds like *hic* you want to know about them *hic* underground tunnels. Sure, I could tell you about them, but you have to hear a plea *hic* of mine first. Interested?'' *DING*
[p=center]Quest Received! Listen to the plea of the drunkard. Quest Difficulty : Unknown Do you accept? Yes | No [/p]
''Alright. I''ll listen to your tale.'' I said, sitting down. The ''Quest Accepted!'' notification came up but I swiped it away. ''Excellent. I do not need a *hic* name, but know this. I come from a very far land, a continent *hic* separate from this one. In fact, in that land, you could say that time runs a little *hic* differently. The old king of this castle came from that land as well, though he had no idea of my existence here. My presence here *hic* serves as a plea sent from that land that I come from. That land has been terrorised with war, with no evident victor. There is no way you can stop the war in that land, and so instead, I beg of you, go to that land and determine a winner. That conflict must end, or otherwise, the bloodshed and savagery of war will consume the entire land. Choose a side, participate in the war and win the battle for that faction. In return for that, I will aid you in your current quest by showing you an entrance to the tunnels. There is no hurry of course. Once you are ready, I will come to you again. '' He said, seeming to sober up the more he regaled me with his tale. I also noticed that the more he talked, his skin grew less pauchy. Also, his hair was slowly turning a natural black. *DING*
[p=center]Quest Updated! Travel to the land that the drunkard has spoken of, pick a side of the war and win it! Quest Difficulty : A Failure : You will be sent back here to the continent of Versailles. Whatever loot that you managed to acquire from that distant land will be destroyed. Do you accept the quest still? Yes | No [/p]
A rank A quest! I was shocked. To be presented with an rank A quest so early in the game was unheard of! I mean, how can someone whose level isn''t past level 30 accept a quest like that? But as I thought about it, I realised the quest was only so difficult because this was not just a simple quest of search and find, or to kill a marked target. Rather, it sounded like an epic war of proportions unheard of. I could easily die from the war, since there would be attacks from all fronts. I could even die in my sleep, if enemies were to attack in the cover of night. I considered my options, and made my decision. ''Yes!'' I said to the man. ''That is very good news indeed! Now, I can tell you''re a mage. That ring never escapes the notice of people. I will now teach you something to help you with your journeys ahead. Consider it a gift, as well as a debt repaid to an old friend, from me to you for accepting the quest.'' The moment he finished, he poured the golden liquid that he had been drinking into a cup he took from the counter next to him and passed it to me. I noticed that his oddly shaped bottle was actually an hourglass. I looked at the liquid he passed to me, and to my surprise, it was actually liquid sand. ''Drink this.'' He said, giving me a smile through his bushy beard. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Feeling a little apprehensive of drinking sand, I took it nevertheless and drank it down. To my surprise, it actually tasted heavenly! Delicate sweetness permeated my every taste buds, leaving a slight bitter aftertaste that which is alcohol. No wonder the man could get drunk from this. *DING*
[p=center]Gained new Legendary Ability : Alter Time Alter Time Beginner Level 1. 0% Active : With the ability to control time within your own body, you can now cause time within yourself to speed up or slow down, depending on how you wish to react to your situation. Using this ability well, you might just be able to turn the odds against you. Passive : Whenever you are about to be in danger, you will automatically go into a state of Quick Time, where time will stop, with respect to you, and you will be notified where you are about to be attacked. However, Quick Time will only last 4 seconds, giving you just about enough time to evade any lethal attacks. Mana-cost : 200 for active ability, zero for passive ability Cool-down : 30s for both. Using one ability will not affect the cool-down for the other. Note : All changes to time will only affect you. You do not have the ability to control time around you; only within you yourself. [/p]
This was an Legendary ability! Legendary abilities are pretty much unheard of, so rare were they that nobody really had any records of these abilities being found! I was about to thank the drunkard when a voice behind spooked me. ''Hey! What are you doing over there?'' I turned around and saw one of the chefs peering down at me with his arms at his side. Straightening up, I told him I was talking to the stranger. The chef gave me a weird look, as though I was mad. I could hardly blame him though, for when I turned around to look for the man, he was gone! In his place was the hourglass he was drinking from. And there was a trail of sand that led from the hourglass towards the other end of the kitchen. Having met my fair share of weird NPCs in this game, I knew this was not the time to investigate his disappearance. Ignoring the chef, I picked up the hourglass and followed the trail. Pretty soon, I got to a door in a quieter part of the kitchen that said ''No Entry!'' I rolled my eyes, and pushed the door open. It was pitch black, which reminded me unpleasantly of the underground basement beneath the Grand Enchantium. ''Cast Luminous Light!'' A gigantic ball of light flew out from my palm and attached itself to the ceiling. From the looks of it, this was the cellar. The trail of sand led down the steps and ended at one of the corners of the cellar. I closed the door behind me, and followed the trail. In the corner of the room, there was nothing much except sacks of rice. They were all piled in stacks, except one particular stack that stood out because it was only a single sack of rice by itself. Feeling suspicious, I went down to inspect the sack. Probing with magical senses revealed nothing, so that meant that the entrance was concealed with physical means. Prodding the sack of rice led me to believe that it was not just a sack of rice. I tried lifting it, but it did not budge. Too heavy for just rice, I tried pushing it but nothing happened. Instead, I tried turning it. The sack turned, albeit with loud cranking sounds of metallic gears. When I turned the sack horizontally, there was a sound of sliding doors. I looked around the room, and found a hole in the wall diagonally opposite from where I was standing. That''s it! I found the f***ing entrance! Feeling excited, I sent the guys a message, asking them to come down to the cellars immediately. After like 10 minutes or so, they arrived. Bambsie had like 3 croissants in his arms. I shook my head and gestured towards the hole. ''Guys, come on! Let''s go before the kitchen finds out this idiot nicked their bread!'' ''I did not steal their bread! It was in a bask-'' He could not finish his sentence because at that moment, Saber threw some powder in his mouth and his lips were sealed tight. He could only make funny gasping sounds as we pushed him into the hole. I summoned another Luminous Light, and we ventured into the tunnel. It got colder the further we travelled. Along the way, we saw several large rats which we took care of rather easily. The tunnels were all connected, which meant that there were indeed many entrances either within the castle grounds or outside of the castle. We walked past one of the conjoining tunnels and paid no attention to it. We figured as long as we kept on walking straight, we should be heading towards the center of the tunnels, where the chamberlain must be with the banner. Regrettably, we had no map of these tunnels so we were just playing on a hunch. The Luminous Light ran out for the 3rd time, and just when I was about to cast another one, we heard the roar of a dragon. Quick Time was automatically initiated, and time froze around me. I got a notification telling me that the foe was right behind me. Knowing I only had precious seconds, I had to face the foe first. I prepared a FrostFire Bolt, which I launched at the direction indicated at the moment Quick Time ceased. There was a blast and there was a sound of something crashing against the rocky floor. I wasted no time and summoned Luminous Light. The enemy was already standing up, but to both of our surprises, we recognised each other immediately. It was the knight with the dragon tattoos, one of the leaders of a group of investigators. However, this time he was alone. He sheathed his claymore sword the moment he saw our faces illuminated by the light. The rest had already turned around and were all in hostile stances, though a moment too late. Saying nothing, the knight pointed forwards, indicating us to travel on. ''Are you here to look for the banner as well?'' I asked. The knight nodded and started walking towards the direction he was pointing at, beckoning us to follow. We looked at each other and shrugged. Sensing no hostility from the knight, we agreed to follow. As we walked, I stared at his cape. Much like the tabard in his torso, his cape was also emblazoned with dragon tattoos. Recalling the roar we heard earlier, this person must be no ordinary knight. ''So, hey, I haven''t gotten your name. Which class were you from in school anyway?'' I asked. The knight gave no reply, but he did turn back to look at me for a brief moment as he continue walking forwards. So... Not a talker eh? Or could he be mute? Though I don''t remember anyone in school being mute... There was no more further talking after that and we travelled on in silence. After what seemed like hours, we finally reached something like a cavern floor. The tunnel opened to a gigantic space of underground rock. Stalactites hung like crystal spears from the ceiling while stalagmites pierced up from the rocky floors. In the center were two figures. We all quickly grew excited. We found the chamberlain! But the presence of another figure puzzled us. Both were bounded by ropes and were unconscious. We approached cautiously, knowing fully well that this could be a trap. As we came nearer, we all recognised one of them with horror. It was Redrow! We all gasped in surprise. Throughout our discussions earlier, we all thought that Redrow was the most likely suspect! But here he was! Tied up along with another old man! Redrow was the most likely person amongst the teachers to be the one who staged this theft. Though we had no idea of his intentions, his actions gave him away. It didn''t make sense for the chamberlain to bar people from investigating the chamber room, the obvious scene of crime. Only Redrow could have coerced the chamberlain to make that decision. There was also no reason for the castle to only give 5 days for us to conduct the investigation. Redrow must have forced the chamberlain to restrict the time we were allowed in order to hinder our investigations. We found out later that Redrow was also a rogue, so that black smoke that the thief used to cover himself must have been used by a rogue like Redrow. All the evidence pointed to no one but him! Reasoning all but abandoned us when we saw his unconscious form next to an old man, whom we presumed was the chamberlain. There was a large scroll of some sort made of fabric that was lying next to them. This was presumably the banner. What the hell is going on? I reached out for the banner, but at that moment, a shadowy hand reached out from beneath the ground and grabbed it down into the shadows. I immediately stepped back, my magical senses heightened. We all saw the spectacle and got into our combat positions. Saber readied his pouch while Cluck summoned his horse and lance. Bambs, his mouth still sealed tight, took out a few dynamites from his bomb bag. The Dragon Knight unsheathed his claymore and brandished it in front of him. I equipped Monkgar''s Staff and readied my spells. The light gave out, and darkness enveloped us. From the darkness, a voice came. A voice that I knew could not be true. A voice we always heard in school. A voice too familiar that all of us yelled out in denial. ''Congratulations. You have found the missing banner. Now, prepare to die.'' Next Chapter?
Wouldn''t have been fun it really was Redrow now, would it? :P Spell 14 : The Betrayal Spell 14 : The Betrayal Anguish and sadness washed over me in an instant like tidal waves that crashed furiously onto the shore. To be betrayed by our own principal... ''Principal Palmer, why did you do it? Why bother hiding yourself? You know everyone in the school recognises your voice!'' I asked, squinting my eyes into the darkness that blanketed my vision. Judging by how everyone had their backs literally squashed with each other, I suspected they too were all blinded by whatever foul magic that Palmer had cooked up. I could sense Palmer thinking for a moment before he answered. ''My intent of covering your vision now is not to mask my own identity. That need to remain hidden has long become unnecessary. You have identified my voice; that alone is sufficient.'' He finished, and almost immediately, I felt magic in the air. Quick Time was activated, and I immediately fired off Frost Bolts towards the direction of the voice in quick succession. But to my surprise, nothing happened, right in the middle of Quick Time! A wave of nausea rocked over my entire body and I doubled up. Hearing the soft thuds of bodies falling beside me, I sensed that they were enraptured by the foul magic too. Footsteps approached us softly like death''s own. They stopped just right in front of my face. Maniacal laughter reverberated around the underground cavern. ''So. I see that you are able to control time in a way. But that is useless! I am the Shadow Walker! More powerful than a warlock, and more devastating than a dark priest; my control of the Void Beyond is too powerful for tiny impediments like time!'' He finished, and through the darkness, I felt the warm air he breathed out into my face. I wanted to cave his skull right in there and then, but the curse was affecting my entire body too much for me but to just lie down and listen. ''Maybe I should give you a reward for making it so far here, only to be crushed by me.'' Palmer whispered into my ear. ''You see, Redrow was never the culprit in the first place. He was only involved in the theft because I employed him to work for me against the school. He was responsible in kidnapping the chamberlain and covering my tracks in the throne room. We learnt of the secret tunnels as well as the switch to access the tunnels from the throne room after we forced the information out of the chamberlain. Since then, the chamberlain has been living here.'' ''I also knew Redrow was cracking up. Bless the goddamned soul, for he came to me to talk about his sorry conscience. I knew then he was going to turn on me, but I never did give him the chance. I cursed him, and down he went. Fortunately, because of the game''s rule, whenever you are in combat, you cannot log out until you or your foe are dead, and if you DO try to logout, your account may face termination. It is one of the game''s ingenious way of punishing people should they wish to exploit the logging out advantage in a middle of a battle. In this case, it has worked against him. Never did I expect to find you people here just as I was about to leave! I have to thank the dear knight over there for giving me a warning with that yell that there were people in the tunnels. I just had to wait here, and sure enough, you fools just came in like mice walking into a dead man''s trap!'' ''Why did I do this, you ask? Well.. this school sickens me. I hate this school. The teachers were too capable; anyone of them could have replaced me easily! I had to do something to crush the morale of the school! This was the only way I saw fitting to punish the school''s teachers. The students, you ask? Why, they are worse! All of them are future scholars and yet they waste their time playing these games. There''s no way I''m letting the school celebrate its anniversary in a game! NO WAY!'' ''Anyway by the time the curse''s effect wears off, I would be long gone by then. I plan to leave the country forever. You are also the only ones who know about this. Don''t forget, 4 hours here is 1 hour in reality, so I have just about enough ti-'' He never finished his sentence because at that moment, another loud roar came from my right. ''Roar of Vigor!'' I could swear it was a girl''s voice that made that roar but I did not had time to think about that. The roar could remove one negative status effect for those who heard it; I felt the curse being lifted, and I could stand up again. I heard an angry hiss from right in front of me, and I knew had only seconds to react. First, I had to make sure that all of us could see again. Otherwise, it would be like trying to fight a shark with nothing in the ocean. I willed a surge of mana into the next spell I was creating, which was none other than Luminous Light. I knew Palmer had abilities that consumed my Luminous Light. Hence the only way to prevent that would be to strengthen the spell from within. ''Alter Time : Speed Up!'' I activated Alter Time''s active ability, and sped up time within my own body, thus increasing the rate at which mana flowed into the spell. I released the spell before Palmer could steal it. Brilliant light illuminated the entire underground cavern, even the smaller crevices. For a moment, my eyes were not adjusted to the glare and I shielded my face. Through the glare, I could make out the principal''s figure. He was draped in a cloak as black as night, as though his abilities were not dark enough. He too was blinded by the light. Everyone recovered quickly though, and the fight begun. Though it was a fight of 1 against 5, Palmer held well on his own. From the Void, he summoned infernal creatures of hell that were vicious and were capable of incinerating anything they touched. We fought hard against these creatures, but they kept on coming. Worse still, Palmer was throwing curses and jinxes at us, and it was all Saber could do to dispel all these status-inflicting attacks. Pretty soon, Palmer was only just aiming at Saber, and all of our HPs were slowly going down with the only healer being bogged down by attacks. ''For each creature you destroy, its essence is returned to the Void, where I can bring forth even more of its kind! You are doomed, students. There is nothing you can do to win this fight!'' Palmer shrieked, with a mad gleam in his eyes. The Void he kept mentioning was basically this black portal that he conjured next to him that was sending out monsters periodically. I stared at it, and hastily put together a simple plan to take down the portal. I looked around and saw Bambs blasting creatures apart with his hand grenades. Taking care not to get hit, I went over to him, eliminating creatures that were foolish enough to get in my way. ''Hey Bambs! Listen! I''ve got a plan to stop those creatures from coming, but I need your help. Can you provide me with the most dangerous bomb you can cook up with? I need it now!'' I shouted to him amidst the pandemonium. He nodded and stooped down to prepare some bombshells. I doubled my spell-casting, keeping the creatures away from both me and him. Moments later, he handed me a flask shaped like a turd. Like. Seriously. It was all brown and even pointy. I looked at him incredulously. ''Hey, you want the most badass explosive, I gave you the most badass explosive right there in your hand! All you need to do is light up the little pointy part there, and then you only have 5 seconds before it blows up! I don''t know what you''re gonna try to do, but it''s gonna rain on us if you let it explode right in here! And OH MY GOD! I CAN FINALLY TALK! F** YEAH!!'' He yelled back to me as he continued fending off the demonic creatures. I shook my head and turned my attention back into the field. Cluck and the knight were taking the brunt of the attack from the demonic creatures, being at the forefront and fending off the creatures'' melee. Saber was still trying to dispel all the curses that Palmer was throwing at him. Redrow and the chamberlain were both awake, but their hands were bounded by shadowy chains. Might be better this way, since no one knows their allegiance now. Especially Redrow''s... Alter Time''s active ability was ready, and I knew I had only one chance to destroy the Void portal. Summoning all the mana I had at my fingertips, I cast Lights of Heaven on Palmer. I could summon 11 blades now, and all of them flew towards Palmer. In the thick of the battle, Palmer did not notice the blades coming towards him and it was too late to react when the blades embedded themselves into his torso. I knew this was my only chance. ''Alter Time : Speed Up!'' I felt as if time slowed around me, but I knew this was just an illusion; everything just appeared slow to me because my brain''s capacity had been magically enhanced to perceive everything around me instantaneously, and going even further to predict what was going to happen. I knew Palmer was struggling to break out of stasis so I ran over to the Void portal. Summoning a Fire Strike, I lit up the tip of the turd-bomb and tossed it towards the Void Portal. Hopefully, that is not just a ONE-way portal... ''Noooo!'' A cry of anguish, followed by pain I never felt before wrecked my very senses to the core. I felt my head pounding against my skull and my brains being juiced. I tried to summon a Barrier, but I felt too weak. As I slumped onto the floor, I saw my HP going down to a critical point. I knew this was it, but at least it was worth it. Now the rest would have a chance against Palmer... Just as if the heavens themselves decided to take a chance with me again, I felt myself being healed and rejuvenated. The pounding on my head vanished as well. Apparently, Saber was able to remove the last of the curse on himself, and brought himself down to save me just at the last moment before I died. I looked up and saw Palm throwing shadow bolts at Cluck and the knight, who had taken up defensive stances and taking minor damage but were slowly advancing up towards him. He yelled in fury and continued casting Shadow spells with even greater gusto, summoning shadowy hands from the grounds to claw at the two. I gave Saber a thumbs up and he immediately resumed healing the two melee fighters. With the last of the demonic creatures destroyed, the fight had turned considerably towards our favour. But Palmer was still an extremely tough opponent. He cursed as he launched Shadow Bolts, and at the same time, kept summoning shadowy hands to hackle everyone. Man, this guy is one insane person. What kind of fiendish monster did he learn all these abilities from? From the corner of my eye, I saw Bambs approaching Palmer sneakily from behind. I knew that guy had no chance of sneaking up even to a sleeping pig, much less to an accomplished Shadow Walker, and I silently cast Mistcloak on him. I could not quite see him, but my own spellwork allowed my magical senses to detect his location. Slowly, but determinedly, I started casting spells at Palmer. With the onslaught of magical attacks and facing so many opponents at once, he slowly stepped back. Towards Bambsie. He was just about to take one more step back, and to everyone''s surprise, Palmer took a major electric shock. He froze in mid-air, apparently paralysed by the static trap laid by none other than Bambsie. ''Attack now!'' I shouted, releasing spell after spell on him. Cluck and the knight slashed and attacked him. Within a few moments, Palm was no more. We all sat down, trying to catch a breath. But I knew the battle was not over yet. I logged out immediately, and stepped out of the capsule. I accessed the video playback records and extracted the portion where Palmer admitted to this entire jig into a flash drive. I took the flash drive, changed quickly and dashed out of the house. It was already midday into the afternoon. As I ran, I took out my mobile phone and dialed the police. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ''Hello. This is the Police Force. Please state your emergency.'' ''Hello! I believe I have walked into a case of a fraud at my school. I have evidence at hand now, but I''m afraid the culprit might be on his way already to leave the country! You have to stop him before it is too late! Hurry!'' I almost screamed into the phone exasperatedly. ''Calm down, sir. Can you provide his name please?'' The female voice replied, coolly. ''Yes! His name is Palmer. He is the principal of-'' I couldn''t complete the sentence because the female voice cut me off. ''Sir, we are already dispatched to apprehend that person you speak of. As it is right now, he has zero chance of escaping the country. Please calm down yourself down, sir, and proceed home. We have enough evidence on our side too to charge the person in court. I believe the evidence you speak of is similar to what we have here at the station.'' I was dumbfounded. They were sent out already? But that was impossible! Relieved, yet uneasy at the same time, I headed home. When I entered the living room, I was surprised to see the gang there. There was another person, but I was not willing to meet his eyes. I did not want to let him see the disappointment in my eyes when I looked at him. ''Julius. Please, take a seat. I am not the master of your house, so the very least I can do is request that you hear me out.'' It was Mr Ken, though in reality he looked even more haggard than usual. He had not shaved for days and his eyes had sunk so deep into their sockets. Clearly, he had not been having much sleep. I sat down on the couch next to Jay, still not looking at Mr Ken. ''Look. I was the one who called the cops ahead of you guys. I knew Palmer was planning to flee the country, but I had to nab him before he escaped. But I could not get the police to catch him without the proper evidence. Would the police arrest a man just because he foiled a school anniversary in virtual reality? I suppose not. And besides, he forced me to delete all the playback records I had in my capsule or else he would reveal my role in the theft to the school. He said that if he was going down, I would not escape unscathed too. But with each passing day, my growing conscience nagged at me until I could not take it. That was when I sought assistance from one of you. That person does not want his name revealed, so I regret that I cannot say anymore regarding this.'' At this, he hung his head down in shame. Nobody said anything, for we could tell his tale was not over. ''There''s something else you have to know. The Palmer you saw in the game was not the real Palmer. He is actually Palmer''s twin brother, Salem. Salem used to be the executive director of a big company. But his company encountered some major cash flow problems and it had to close. From someone who earned tens of thousands a month, he was reduced to nothing. Palmer then offered Salem a place to stay at his house. Little did Palmer knew that his brother had long gone insane with the collapse of his company...'' We were all shocked beyond words after hearing this. I forgot all about my enmity with Mr Ken. I just looked at him, wanting to hear more about the grisly truth. ''Anyway, I do not know exactly when, but Salem started standing in as his brother. Nobody could tell the difference. How could they, when they were perfect twins? So it was Salem who started giving morning announcements; it was Salem who started meeting the parents; it was Salem who started meeting the Education Board members; it was Salem who started becoming Principal. The real Palmer, I suspect, is still alive because I don''t think Salem''s that mad enough to murder him, but he''s probably tied up or something so that he cannot escape the house.'' ''Why did Salem do this?'' I asked, horrified at what I was learning. ''Jealousy, of course. He could not take the fact that his own brother was a successful principal of a well-established school with outstanding results in almost everything while he himself has sunk so low into the depths of society with nothing to his name. So he took over his brother, and slowly began destroying his school. Recall how little Jimmy of Year 1 was beaten to a pulp and refused to say anything? That was his work. Recall how Mrs Loo was fired for posting nude photos on social media? That was his blackmailing at work. Recall the fire in the superchemo lab? That was started by him to erase his tracks. He used the lab to create eye-lens that were identical to Palmer''s DNA so that he could wear them and fool Palmer''s capsule iris-scan into detecting that he was Palmer whenever he logged onto RoyalRoad. All those words that he said to you in the cavern earlier? Well, not all of them are exactly true. He said that just to convince you that he really was Palmer. This was all in a bid so that when Salem leaves the country, Palmer will take all the blame.'' ''Then... How did you come into the picture, Mr Ken?'' I asked, because I had to know. He did not answer me immediately. He sighed, and then continued. ''You could say I was feeling angry at the school. For 30 years I had been teaching in this school. Giving all that I had to everyone, be it the staff or the students. I thought I could get some recognition at least, but never once did I get any incentives to work harder. Then, when Mr Au, your previous Head of Department for Mathematics, left the school, I thought I was the one to resume the position. But guess what? They gave it some other young pup just because he had a PhD in Mathematics! I was extremely unhappy, and in all my long years I spent in the school, I went up to the principal to complain for the first time. Little did I know at that point in time Salem had already switched with Palmer... And he used my anger towards the school as a tool for revenge against the school as well. I could give an excuse for myself saying he manipulated me, but... In truth, I saw everything clearly. But I regret everything now. I can not be more ashamed than I have ever been. I will make a public declaration in school tomorrow to apologise for everything that I have done.'' With that, he got up and left my place. The gang was dumbfounded, and everyone was silent. To think that it was not just a simple sabotage! We were all played for fools by the principal''s twin brother! And to think he was ingenious enough to develop those lens to hack into his brother''s account! Unicorn Inc. will have a lot to do after this incident... We all decided to grab lunch outside to discuss more about the matter. Over at McDonalds'', we talked it over and decided a few things... The next day, school was on. I packed my bag and headed for school earlier today because there was an emergency meeting scheduled in the hall. As I entered the hall, there were a lot of murmurings and I heard glimpses of conversations. I shook my head at most of them, simply because they were probably figments of untrue rumours. I saw down next to Benedict. He saw me and gave me a thumbs up. We heard the microphone squeak and everyone looked up. Principal Palmer, the real one, was standing on the stage with a band of teachers behind him. He looked so frail though, and was almost wheezing when he tried to talk. Everyone cheered and whistled, and he put up his hands to silence everybody. ''A good morning to all of you. As I am sure by now most of you have heard what happened to me, I do not wish to speak of it again, for it pains me more than all of you could possibly imagine. A betrayal of a kin is one hard to stomach, but one done out by a mind out of control is even worse to bear!'' At this, he choked, and the teachers behind him rushed forward but he waved them back. ''I-I''m fine. Thanks for your concern. Now, onto more serious business. The castle banner has been reclaimed, and is now reinstated in Gloucest Castle''s throne room. Rest assured, the anniversary celebration will go on!'' Everyone cheered and clapped at this. ''Secondly, there is a matter regarding Mr Ken, who was an associate with the one responsible for the theft of the banner.'' He paused, as all eyes turned to Mr Ken, who stared back at Palmer with wide eyes. It looked like he did not sleep another night. ''Investigations have been conducted. The results are as such : he will not be charged in court. The reason being that he was just aggrieved for his efforts not being recognised in the school and when he tried to seek advice, he was led down the wrong path. He must not take all of the blame. Therefore, this time he will just be let off with a verbal warning. I believe the school cannot afford to lose a Mathematics teacher so capable.'' Palmer said, with a thin smile as the school cheered even louder at this. Having heard the ''true'' story, courtesy to Keith''s amazing ability to spread gossip, all the students were filled with nothing but sympathy for Mr Ken, whom they believed was just a victim in all the problems caused by Salem. Mr Ken, after hearing the principal''s address, clutched his heart and silently mouthed his thanks as tears of joy came out of his eyes. He was clapped on the back by all the teachers and students around him. ''Well, that is all for today''s meeting. No wait. My apologies. We are saved, by a young group within yourselves, and not a day too soon, for after today, the castle would have reset its ownership and we would indeed be forced to find a new guild castle. This group of students were responsible in bringing down my character in the game and eventually were also able to reclaim the banner for us. WIthout them, today''s anniversary celebration would not have been possible. Champions, you shall all receive rewards for your efforts, both in the game and in reality. If you will, the students I am talking about, please step forward to the stage so that the school can properly recognise your efforts.'' I could feel my face turning as red as a beetroot. The idea of standing on stage in front of the school frightened me to the core! ''Hey come on. They wanna thank us. Let''s go up! C''mon, I''m gonna pull you up!'' Keith said, as he stood up and pulled me up. I tried to hide my face with my hands as he dragged me to the stage. Everyone was cheering for us, and they all laughed heartily when Benedict tripped and fell on the way up the steps to the stage. As I peeked out of my hands, I could see the entire school cheering for us. Even Tidus was clapping, though he was doing it pretty much half-heartedly. All 4 of us were up there, save the mysterious knight. And well, his entrance could not have been more well-received than us. Oh by the way, did I mention his entrance? Sorry, I meant... Her entrance. Well, she was the school''s most beautiful flower afterall... I let my fingers fall of my face in shock as I saw who it was. There was no mistaking that auburn hair that parted so perfectly at her shoulders. No mistaking that flawless smile that laid so delicately on her beautiful lips. No mistaking the way she walked with such grace. She walked up the steps of the stage and stood next to me. I felt myself shrinking further as her lavender-scented perfume assaulted my nose. She looked at me and chuckled. ''What, you didn''t receive my e-mail? And I was soooo looking forward to fighting that secret boss with you!'' Next Chapter? Spell 15 : The Celebrations Spell 15 : The Celebrations *Ring* *Ring* *Ring* I put down the weights I was lifting and reached out for my phone on the bench press machine next to me. With great excitement, I looked at the caller ID but was instead rewarded with a slight twinge of disappointment when I saw who it was. ''Hey Ju. Where the hell are you? The anniversary''s gonna start!'' ''Hi Keith. Sorry, I wasn''t really looking at the time. I''m at the gym now but I''ll head home in a few mikes.'' ''You''re at the gym?! You gotta be kidding me! This is so going on Twitter! Ju, gymming! Who the hell would have thought it? But yeah, I was just there in the castle. Almost everybody''s there. You really wanna be there right now.'' ''Yeah, alright. See you man.'' I hung up and kept my phone in my bag. I took up the weight I was working on and lifted it a few more times until both my arms were completely sore. I got up and wiped the mess of sweat I left behind on the bench with my towel. I started working out recently because emotionally, I could feel myself being tensed out. Previously, the only way I knew how to loosen myself was by playing games, but now that the cause of my stressing out was RoyalRoad itself, I had to look to other alternatives. Especially with all the hoo-ha regarding the school''s scandal. All that business really stressed me out because I spent all my waking moments trying to figure out the crime. With only 7 in-game days to complete the investigations, it was almost a miracle that we actually solved it. One thing remains completely baffling though, and that is the presence of the weird old man in the kitchens. He was definitely an NPC, but the amount of sentience he possessed was astonishing. I mean if you looked at it logically, this whole business with the banner was cooked up by real players; the NPCs were supposed to be caleb fare. But due to the actions of Salem alone, the NPCs were vastly affected as well. It was almost impossible for that old man to be there at that time to lead me to the banner in exchange for taking up a quest. Was the game mechanics spiraling out of control? Or was the game evolving itself beyond its predetermined boundaries? It''s almost as if this entire thing was cooked up by a grand mastermind... I reached the bus stop and sat down, waiting for the bus to arrive. Feeling bored, I took out my phone and looked up the RoyalRoad forums, checking for any updates provided by the players of RoyalRoad themselves. It seemed like Unicorn Inc. got wind of the scandal and have updated their anti-hacking system. I scrolled through the forum threads and found nothing interesting. Just then, the bus rolled into the street and I got on. I stepped into the capsule when I got home, and logged onto RoyalRoad. The moment I got in, I received quite a number of notifications. Most were just friend requests from the students in the school I was studying in. The reclamation of the banner brought me too much unwanted fame. People gawked and pointed wherever I went in school. It was as if the whole school was my friend now. There was one notification that caught my eye, however. Never did expected to see it so soon too.
[p=center]COUNCIL SUMMON Magi Crow, the Council will be holding its Meet in the eve of the next full moon. You will represent Archmage Ghanda in this Meet. Your presence will be much appreciated. [/p]
Eve of the full moon huh? That should be about close to 5 more days after the celebration, judging by the moon cycle. After clearing all the notifications and messages, I left my chamber and headed straight for the garden. It was already midnight and the moon shone brightly in the sky, illuminating the entire garden which was bustling with activity. There were plenty of stalls set up, where either games were being played or food was being sold. From time to time, fireworks were launched, creating a beautiful display of sparks against the dark sky. The party was in full swing. I took a goblet of mead from one of the serving girls that came by and went to look for my friends. I did not had to look for long. Racing games were being held by the castle walls, and it seemed like participants had to go in teams of two around the castle perimeters in a circuit. Teams have to try and complete a number of rounds around the circuit, while avoiding attacks and traps set by other participants as well. Most of the crowd were cheering for one particular team apparently. They were both on horseback, and while the rider was spurring his steed, his partner was frantically throwing bombs everywhere he could reach. No one could match them in speed nor destructiveness. The cheering multiplied when they came in first. I smiled while sipping the mead, and went forward to congratulate them. ''CROW! You''re in! Man, you should have seen us. We were aw-aw-aw-AWESOME!'' Bambsie greeted me with his usual silly mood. ''Yeah, I know. I was kinda watching. Good job, guys.'' ''Yeah.. So anyway, have you tried playing any of the games? They''re fun as hell! Look, there''s one that I know you''ll definitely win. Come on, I''ll show ya.'' And without a further ado, he pulled me into the crowd. I saw Cluck waving goodbye with an apologetic expression on his face. Pretty soon, we reached a stall that had pistols lined up with moving targets behind the stall owner. He greeted us with a sly smile. ''Welcome to Guns N Eyes! Only 1 Silver coin to start! 20 pellets and 15 targets; shoot them all down and you''ll win a prize!'' I looked at Bambsie with a questioning look. This was obviously a game for a marksman, not a mage. But Bambsie just pointed to the targets while making a tick-tock sound using his mouth, as though trying to hint to me something. Of course! I could never shoot a moving target, but if my reaction was faster than that, then... I stepped forwards and paid the stall owner the money. He gestured at one of the pistols, and stepped away from the targets. I lifted the pistol, and pretended to aim. ''Alter Time : Speed Up!'' Time slowed, and the targets stilled. With ease, I shot down all 15 of them just before the spell ended. The stall owner gawked at what just happened and handed me a tiara grudgingly. *DING*
[p=center]You received new item : Gloucest Tiara (Transmogrify)! This tiara once belonged to the handmaidens of Gloucest Castle who served directly under the Queen. They were dressed differently, in order to mark them differently from the other normal handmaidens. Note : This item does not possess any stat bonuses. It is meant to be transmogrified only. [/p]
I looked at the stall holder in disbelief. Of all the items he could have given me, he gave me a freaking tiara? What the hell am I gonna do with a girl''s item? I accused the stall holder of it. ''All''s fair, son. You shot down the targets; I gave you a prize. Give it to your lady friends. As a gift.'' Bambsie pulled me back and away from the stall just as I was about to retort. I followed Bambsie back into the crowd, and shrugged myself of his grip. He chuckled and put an arm around me. Sighing, I smiled too. Well, at least the stall holder was right about one thing. I could give it to someone... Most of the stalls were occupied and joyous voices filled the air around us. I could smell mead everywhere; almost everybody had a goblet in their hands. It was a cheery night; people were really enjoying themselves. We walked without looking and stumbled into Dennis'' gang. They greeted us merrily too. ''So, Mr Saviour, how''s things going? Getting a lot of the ladies'' attention?'' Dennis said with a wink while raising his goblet, indicating a toast. I obliged, before answering. ''I''m doing fine, Dennis. And please, do not call me that. I''ve enough titles to live by.'' ''Strange, you''re the only one that calls me by my real name here. Well, whatever. Call me by whatever name you want, Crow. You earned it. By the way, Palmer''s gonna start the official congratulatory service to you and your friends soon. Might wanna be around the plateau soon, if I were you.'' He said, indicating the little stage set up near the fountain with a shaky hand. Clearly, he had a lot to drink. ''Yeah, thanks man. We''ll be there soon. By the way, have you seen Vanessa around?'' ''Vanny? Man, I haven''t seen her around since. I think she''s preparing for some dance...'' Just as he finished speaking, there was a lot of whooping and cheering from our sixes. We all turned around, and I saw the most fascinating thing ever. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. There were 7 girls that stood postured in a V-shaped formation on the flower beds dressed in gowns that were so tender that it rested only ever so lightly on their lithe bodies. They were all wearing green, making them look like flower fairies. Or even angels, I couldn''t really tell. But the one that caught my attention most of all was the one in red at the front. There was no mistaking her auburn hair anywhere. Music began to play, and all at once, the dance began. It was hard to describe something so incredible. They moved as one, like a group of butterflies that fluttered amongst flowers. It was as though they had rehearsed their dance, and yet nothing was choreographed at the same time. Like they were dancing to the mood of the audience, playing on our very own emotions. Alluring, yet not lustful at all. It was a spectacular performance. They must all be Dancers at professional levels. Naturally, I had my eyes on no one but Vanessa. It was incredible that she was not even a Dancer by profession, and yet she was so incredible... The dance ended, and everyone cheered and clapped. I suspected most of the applause was going to Vanessa, and I turned in annoyance at all the wolf-whistling. She descended from the stage, and everyone turned around to face the plateau expectantly. Palmer was there on the plateau, signalling everyone to quieten down. He was wearing a different robe this time, quite unlike the shadowy attire he was wearing in the cavern. The chamberlain of the castle was next to him too. Once everyone had their attention on him, he began to speak. ''I hope you are all enjoying yourselves thus far. We have spared no expenses in planning this event. Everything is all paid for using the guild bank. Now, we are here today because of the efforts of a few of us. If not for their bravery and quick-witted thinking, this would have been a most boring event. WIll the few of you that I just mentioned please join me on this stage?'' He clapped, and the crowd joined in, looking for those he spoke of. I felt my face growing hot, as I followed Bambsie up. the cheering hardly ceased until the 5 of us were on the stage. Now it was the chamberlain who spoke. ''In recognition for your efforts, each and everyone of you will be rewarded with your very own title as well as an equipment from our very own vaults. Now, when I call your name, please step forward. Bambsie!'' He called, and Bambs stood forward excitedly. ''You have displayed a cunning unmatched by those around you. With skills that you possess, you are liable to injure both allies and enemies alike, but you have expertly done the latter while saving your allies in dire need. For that, you shall receive Grand Sage Akara''s Monocles as well as the title : Demolitions Expert of Gloucest!'' Bambsie gave a squeal and immediately tried on his monocles. Everyone laughed out when they saw him; he looked so comical. Cluck''s name was called next. ''You are a knight, true to your calling, as you ride your steed into battle. Glorious chants will be called after you and your beautiful steed. We look forward to seeing your participation in jousting events. For your chivalry, you shall be presented with Admiral Gelousious Saddle as well as the title : Legion Rider of Gloucest!'' Cluck took the saddle and hoisted above him proudly like a champion. Everyone roared in approval over this. ''Nobody can disrespect a healer, for their support in battle never goes unnoticed. Your abilities this time saved many lives and helped your allies carry on their battle. For your noble efforts this time, you are presented with Lightwing''s Plumage, a feather plucked from the legendary bird herself. You shall also be henceforth known as : Emerald Druid of Gloucest!'' Saber took the feather and stuck it over his cowl. That must have been an unique item because the grin on his face told it all. ''You are valiant as a Dragon Knight, possessing the might of a warrior that even most men can only hope to have. You have been instrumental in bringing down Salem, and your strength aided in this battle was equivalent to ten fighters! For your courage, you are presented with Calrose the White Knight''s Earrings. You shall be known from today as Lady Dragon of Gloucest!'' The chamberlain addressed Vanessa as he spoked, presenting her a pair of earrings studded with moongems. She waved to the crowd, who was going absolutely wild. ''And now lastly, Crow, for your resourcefulness as well as your adaptiveness to the situation, you will receive Magus Buviere''s Pendant, which will aid in your spell-casting. No other spell-caster can hope to stand against you in a duel of magics! You are, without a doubt, a most accomplished mage! Your master would have been proud of you. Alas, for your title, I cannot give you one that befits you properly as you have chosen thus far not to reveal your class. No matter, one must be presented to you. From today, you shall be known as the Elfish Sorcerer of Gloucest!'' *DING*
[p=center]Quest Completed![/p] You have successfully reclaimed the banner for the castle, and thus saved the celebration! Rewards : +50G, +7,000 XP, +3,000 Fame, +1 Magus Buviere Pendant!
Sweet! With the XP I received, coupled with all the batles that I had fought since the start of this ques, I reached level 52! ''Open Magus Buviere Pendant stats!''
[p=center]Magus Buviere Pendant[/p] This pendant once belonged to Magus Buviere, whose specialty in spell-casting lies in her ability to multi-cast her spells simultaneously. Requirements : Level 60, INT 250, WIS 200 Stats : +55 INT, +40 WIS Passive : Your damage dealing abilities have a chance to grant you -15% Casting Duration to your spells
The stats were beyond excellent! An item of this grade would prove most useful once I can successfully wear it!. *DING*
[p=center]Congratulations on reaching Level 50![/p] The Codex will reward you with an ability! You have gained new Ability : Telekinesis! With the power of your mind, you are able to lift and move objects! Only one object may be moved at a time.
Everyone was cheering, and I looked around at the crowd. This was definitely a proud moment of my life. Virtual though this world may be, the congratulatory applause and support that we''re getting from the school was genuine. I would not want to be in another place now. __________________________________________________ Tidus looked at the five on the stage and grinned. ''C''mon. Let''s go. We aren''t the stars of the show this time, but mark my words, we''re gonna come back stronger.'' He said to his crew behind him. Their faces could not be seen as they stood under the concealment of the trees'' shadows. One of them picked up a bag and handed it to Tidus. ''So, where to, boss?'' He asked, revealing a set of sharp, white teeth. ''The Land of No Dreams. There''s someone there I wanna talk to.'' Tidus said, swinging the bag over his shoulder. His crew silently shifted and headed to the castle gates. He followed them and just as he reached the gates, he took a glance back. A smirk crept across his face. ''Julius, when I come back, you better be ready. This duel... I''m gonna win it.'' Spell 16 : The Phase Spell 16 : The Phase ''Next stop : Kingley''s Hall! Please alight from the train if you have arrived at your destination.'' A cool female voice said through the P.A. system in the train. I got up, dusted off the breadcrumbs from my pants and got out of the train. Kingley''s Hall was one of the most furbished underground stations I have ever seen. Even the railway tracks themselves shone like new metal. It had to be; afterall, it was named after one of the grandest concert halls ever built in the continent. And the place I had to be tonight. I couldn''t believe it myself; here I was actually going for a concert that I practically had no interest in when I could be at home playing RoyalRoad or something. But I didn''t really had a choice. It was either watching the school band performing in Kingley''s Hall or listening to Benedict''s ranting for a whole month on how friends should support each other in times of need. Oh, did I mention he''s in the school band, and that he actually had to sell 20 tickets or else he would be off the band''s committee? Well, now you understand. The escalator led directly into the concert hall itself. It was quite similar to the Grand Enchantium in design, but instead of golden pillars and staircases, everything was marble instead. The reception was just right next to the doors leading to one of the performing halls where the band would be performing tonight. Keith and Jay were already there waiting impatiently. They gave a sigh of relief when I walked up to them. ''What took you so long? You''re fashionably late when you''re the most punctual one of us all.'' Keith remarked. ''Sorry, I was trying to find a shirt that fit. For some reason nowadays it''s getting harder for me to wear some of my smaller clothes. You know I usually don''t wear these kinds of shirts out.'' I held out my arms and shook it. The sleeves were so constricting that I could barely straighten my arm. ''You really have no idea why? And they call you a genius in the school. Man, it''s all the gymming that you have been doing, fool. It''s ''cos you''ve been gaining pounds at the gym that''s why your shirts are getting tighter. Are you just conceited or really that daft?'' Jay sniggered and showed his ticket to the reception counter. He went straight into the performing hall. Keith flicked his finger at my chest and headed in too. I stood there dumbfounded until Keith came back out a second later and called me in. Rows and rows of seats just filled the performing hall. There were also booths above that stood out from the walls where vision would be unobstructed, but those were reserved for the V.I.P.s. Most of the seats were already filled with excited parents and friends of those performing later. We found some seats near to the middle and sat down. The seats were extremely comfortable and pretty much put me to sleep. I woke up moments later from a jab by Jay and realised that the concert was starting. It was pretty boring at the start, with the band playing classical music that no one knew about. There was one that sounded vaguely like something I heard while watching Tom and Jerry as a kid called die Fledermaus by Strauss. I noticed many around me were fighting losing battles to keep their eyes open. I rolled my eyes around and tried to keep myself awake. Rather by accident, I let my eyes glance past the V.I.P. booth and saw, with a pang in my heart, Vanessa. She was not alone, however. Dennis was next to her. Tall and handsome, the Student Council chairman stood motionless, appreciating the pieces played by the band like a fine, young gentleman. In his gloved hands, he held a wine glass that contained champagne from the looks of it. He was wearing a tuxedo for crying out loud. He whispered something into Vanessa''s ears and she giggled. I looked away at once, barely able to look on further. After intermission, the band started to play pieces that were more recognisable, including hits from Disney as well as various pop songs. The crowd began to cheer more lively after each song. I recognised one Madeline Tan, who stood up for the entire of her boyfriend''s saxophone solo and was the one who clapped the loudest when it ended. All in all, it was admittedly a splendid performance but for the likes of Jay, Keith and I, who hardly appreciate these sort of things, we were so glad when the encore piece ended. The audience began to rush forward to give their little gifts of roses or chocolates. We mingled in, and found our clown happily beating the timpani drums like a little monkey. ''Hey guys! Did you hear my solo? Man, I finally played it correctly! My heart was right in my mouth then!'' He almost shouted gleefully. We talked for a few minutes, and then there was a call for the audience to leave the performing hall. We filed out slowly; the crowd thronged at the doors. People were slowly leaving Kingley''s Hall, and we wasted no time following them out. ''Julius! You were here?! How was the concert?'' A voice that I could never not recognise got me to look back. I regretted immediately after that. Vanessa was a sight to behold. She had donned on a blue toga dress that revealed her entire right shoulder. I had no idea what she did with her hair; it was curled up all nicely. She wasn''t alone however; her arm was slid over Dennis''. This I took a whole second to look at before I glanced up at her face with a smile. Whether she noticed the staring or not, I had no idea. ''Fancy seeing you here, Vanessa. And you too, Dennis! Yeah, the concert was great. Where were you guys seated?'' I asked, trying my very best to remain positive. ''Well, we were in the booths. T''was squeezy as hell. I would have prefered sitting below.'' Dennis said, in his usual pompous manner. ''Well, that puts things into perspectives. Anyway, we gotta be going. According to my calculations, it''s gonna be full moon in about an hour''s time in RoyalRoad. There''s something I have to do in the game. Well, nice seeing you two, Vanessa and Dennis.'' I waved goodbye to the two of them and left without another glance back. Keith and Jay hurried after me. The departure was too abrupt for my liking but, I couldn''t stay for a moment longer in the their company. Keith and Jay seemed to understood. We parted ways at the station and I took the train back home alone. Thoughts raced through my mind as the underground walls flashed past through the train windows. No wonder he called her ''Vanny'' that day during the celebrations. It was his pet name for her... The moment I got home I immediately logged into the game. My character was right where I left it : in Yggdrassil. For the past 5 days, we''ve been fighting hard in dungeons and helping each other level up along with the assistance of some of the school players. We took on mini expeditions to save villages under attack as well. ''Open Stats!''
Status Window
NameCrowClassInvoker
Health5300Mana8900
Level85
Health Regen/Sec2.0Mana Regen/Sec12.5
Strength62Agility53 (39 + 14)
Wisdom337 (216 + 121)Intelligence357 (225 + 132)
Stamina101Vitality85
Concentration192 (111 + 81)
With the recent overhaul changes to the game''s mechanics, stats were scaled down in order to reduce figures calculated in the system. Previously, because of the game''s multiplier, damage figures were astronomically high, and would not be viable at all in the long run when players start to hit level 200 and above. Imagine a level 50 sniper getting a critical hit of 10,000 with the old system. What would his critical damage be once he hits level 200? Easily more than a million I suppose. The user''s screen would just be filled with numbers. Of course, monsters'' HP were also scaled down together with damage figures so playing experience would still be the same. With the new system in place, my spells easily hit about close to 3-4k damage. An average level 80 monster now has about 10k HP so it takes me about 3-4 spells to kill off a monster. Of course, in a group battle, I usually just use one spell while the rest of the group just handles the rest. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. So here I was. Back to the land of gigantic trees. I missed the lush greenery here. Elvish folk frolicked all over the place carrying on with their activities with the forest sprites. I marched right up into the tree entrance and proceeded straight to the Council room. The moon wasn''t fully up yet, so I was actually the earliest. The Council members were arriving one by one though and I was actually among the few that had actually walked in. Most of them just materialised out of the air. The most dramatic entrance belonged to Aeyssrya, who actually leaped in from one of the small windows along with a great squawk from outside. I looked round the table and did not recognise a single one of their faces, except Aeyssrya''s. Most of them were actually Night Elves, but I saw some High Elves mixed in. A total of 11 people were present, including me. And they were all staring at me, clearly waiting for something. I cleared my throat, and stood up. ''My humblest greetings to all who are present. My name is Crow. I am a mage by calling, and I represent Archmage Ghanda by wearing his Mark. I have been appointed to be his stand-in for the time being, and upon bearing the summon for me to return to this month''s Meet, I have spared no costs in making my return here. Whatever that I shall hear or come to learn in this Meet, I will pass it on to my master.'' I sat down once I finished speaking, and all at once there noises of approval. I felt relieved; these were all powerful beings. One wrong word, and I could be lying in a heap of bones at the bottom of the tree. Aeyssrya smiled and stood up. ''Magi Crow, it is good to have you back. To those who have forgotten, Magi Crow was the one who led the party of Moondori as well as a few other young travellers to exterminate the party of troll warlocks who have been terrorising the forests with their demonic acts and magic. It has been thus agreed upon by all of us to give him a position here to sit in with us in this Meet. Magi Crow, whatever that you shall take away from this Meet, it is yours to keep. Archmage Ghanda has indicated that you have no requirement to bring news to him. He will be... Well-informed by his own means, or so I hear. In any case, he has sent his greatest regards to you, though at the moment, his whereabouts are unknown. Recognise this though, you are still not officially part of the Council yet. There are still some requirements that you still have yet to met. '' She looked at me when she was speaking and I returned the glance. I knew she hinted many other minor things, but I just took whatever she said with a pinch of salt. Aeyssrya looked down and began shuffling her papers. It seemed like she was the one chairing this meeting. ''Now, on to business. Our first matter regarding the use of the arcane portals. I understand that we have agreed that the toll imposed would serve to help us with financial flows. However, it has been raised by many of the citizens that the toll should not be imposed on Elves in general; it should just be imposed on just the outsiders of this forest instead. What say all of you on this matter?'' She sat down and looked around the table. Most of the Council began discussing amongst themselves while some just kept quiet. Among one of them, a burly looking Night Elf, stood up. ''If I may, Lieutenant-Ranger Aeyssrya, I believe the toll should still be placed on the citizens. It is not so much on the issue with gold, but for the safety of our own people. If you wish to travel outside, you must be able to garner the means to do so. If travelling was free, everyone would want to leave this forest and see the world outside. But are they truly ready for it? That is a question I fear has no answer, Milady.'' Most of Council began talking amongst themselves, though from the looks of it, they agreed with whatever the Night Elf has said. Aeyssrya motioned them to keep quiet as she began to spoke. ''Has anyone have anything to say to challenge what Marshal Vult has just said? Magi Crow, what about you? Since this is your first Meet, we gladly welcome your input.'' She beckoned to me, clearly giving me a chance to express myself and make an impression. ''Marshal Vult has raised a most valid point. However, I feel that imposing a toll may not be barely enough to ensure the safety of our own citizens. May I suggest instead, since the issue is not really with the gold, a minimum level requirement? Say, a warrior wishes to travel to... Skywraith, Land of the Hawks. Check his gear. Check his abilities and skills. Can he really survive there? Put a level 150 requirement for passage to Skywraith. Let''s say on another hand a warrior wishes to travel to Serabourg instead. It is a safe city, so a level requirement of 20-30 may not be too much to ask for.'' ''What about the craftsmen? They may be part of hunting groups capable of surviving in dangerous places like the one you mentioned, but are we going to stop the entire group just because their Blacksmith is 50 levels too low? Also, do not forget, other capitals do not have level requirements.'' Asked an elder High Elf in his wheezy voice. I thought for a moment before answering. ''True, craftsmen would be unable to travel. But like I said, a dangerous area also means that a low level person is really unable to survive there even if he has the help of higher leveled peers to watch his back. A low level painter will still die from a hit by a Great Hawk, no matter how much his allies can help to boost his survivability. That is why I still think a level requirement would still work better. Also, we cannot care any more about rogue citizens who wish to put their lives at risk if they travel to another capital that willingly grants them passage into dangerous areas. We are their Council; not their parents. That is the limit we should care about our people.'' I finished with blood rushing to my head. Speaking in front of so many important people gave me a kind of exhilaration I never felt before. Most of the Council were nodding in agreement with what I said, and voices of approval rose. Aeyssrya smiled before she continued speaking. ''All in favour of level requirements in place of toll fee for all Elvish citizens?'' ''Aye!'' Everyone agreed. And so the meeting continued with other issues. From time to time, I would be asked for my opinion, which I gave, but mostly I just kept quiet. Spoken when only spoken to. Finally, we moved on to the last issue of the today''s agenda. This last one caught me by surprise. ''Now, for the last note on today''s agenda, I have received some reports about some of our people receiving quests from unknown strangers all around the forest. Most of them denied the quests and have reported the sightings of these strangers around the forest, though strangely, only they themselves are able to see these strangers. At first, I thought this was a hoax, until recently one of us has actually met the stranger, who was covered in sand. The stranger spoke of a land ravaged by war, and has requested heroes to head over to the land to stop the bloodshed. That same one of us accepted the quest and has agreed to head over to that land.'' ''Who accepted it?'' The elder High Elf looked around, as though daring the person to own up. I was just about to stand up when someone beat me to it. Well, I did say it was Aeyssrya who was chairing this Meet. ''I did.'' She said. Spell 17 : The Familiar Spell 17 : The Familiar ''You? You accepted the quest? On what grounds, m''Lady?'' Asked the old High Elf accusingly. ''On the grounds that there is a war out there and if I do not stop it, this war will spread to our lands!'' Aeryssya replied fiercely. She slammed the table indignantly and started pacing around the room. Her reaction gave quite a number of the members a fright. ''It is high time that we, as elected leaders of the Forest, start acting as we should! There is an imminent danger out there and you question my decision? In all fairness, I will not go as a representative of the Council. They shall know me as the Green Ranger, my original title, and not Lieutenant Ranger Aeryssya of the Council. Rest assured, win or lose, I shall not bring any bad influences to the reputation of the Forest. Anybody else has an objection?'' Her face was marked by a fury and yet she could still remain so alluring in her own way. Nobody else could mix anger and perfection in a way that she could. I looked around and realised that most of the members were looking quite uncomfortable, as though her words hit home pretty hard. That is, until one person stood up. The moment he got up, the Council quietened. He had, rather graciously, remained silent for the entire meeting. ''I think the Ranger has our best interests at heart. She is a proud warrior, and will definitely bring valor to her name after resolving this conflict. Since she has already promised to do her part, is it wise for us as a Council to veto her answer? Let the world know the Council does not honour its creed? She is, afterall, part of the Council despite whatever she may choose to represent.'' Smiling in a charming way, he lowered his head towards Aeryssya. Oddly enough, she did not return the gesture and instead glared at him with glowering eyes. ''So, can it be concluded,'' he continued, ''that this meeting is adjourned if nobody has any other issues? Magi Crow, what about you?'' He looked at me with his emerald eyes. I could almost feel my very own soul being exposed by his piercing eyes. I shook my head, and after a few more closing words, the meeting pretty much came to an end. The chairs scraped against the floor as the Council got to their feet. Most of them just vanished on the spot. Aeryssya was the last to leave, and I caught up to her just as she was about to walk through the door. ''Lady Ranger, a moment please.'' ''Yes, Magi Crow? And please, just Aeryssya will do.'' ''Likewise, do address me as just Crow. Well, listen. About that quest that you took up...'' I looked around the room, and was about to continue speaking when she put a finger to my lips and beckoned me to follow her out of the room. I followed her as she led me up the wooden staircases made out of logs. After climbing a few metres, she brought me into a den that was heavily perfumed with the scent of jasmine. It was a simple living quarter, with a poster bed and a dresser placed side by side in a corner of the room. Instead of tables and chairs, she had a rather elaborately designed bench placed near the window, where the moonlight came in full glow. A growl came from the darkest corner of the room and I looked to see two topaz eyes glowering at me in the shadows. Aeryssya went over and made some cooing sounds to it. The thing hooted and the two yellowish orbs disappeared. ''Sorry, that was just my owl companion. I rarely have visitors, you see. Anyway, this is my home. Come in and make yourself comfortable.'' I followed her to the bench, where she started pouring us drinks. I sat down and took a cup with thanks. The drink tasted like hazelnut cream, not at all undelicious. ''I am aware that you wanted to say something important earlier, but I was afraid that you might say something to compromise yourself in a room where eavesdropping might be prevalent.'' ''Isn''t that room shielded against outsiders scrying on us? I could sense powerful wards set up in that room.'' I asked, in between sips of the tasty drink. ''You are not wrong. But you forget also that the ones who set up that barrier might have also placed their own spying spells in the room to see who amongst us might compromise ourselves. It is a measure I am absolutely sure that they would take in order to protect their own secrets. I would not have wanted you to betray yourself on the first meet that you have attended. You impressed quite a number of them.'' She took a sip out of her own cup and gave a small smile. ''Now, am I to discover also that I am about to have yet a secondary companion to go on this trip?'' She asked. I almost gagged on hearing her words. How the hell did she know? ''Judging by your reaction, I guessed as much. Though the quest itself is one of its kind, it is not uncommon for heralds of the quest to appear in droves, seeking out willing adventurers to take up the quest.'' ''Am I ready for it?'' I asked, feeling like a childish apprentice all over again. She chuckled and cocked her head to the side. ''Well... It will be a very dangerous quest. It would not do for me to be keeping an eye out for you all the time. You would do well to prepare yourself further.'' ''Where is this... War anyway?'' ''The question is not where, but when. It is a land lost in the sands of time, and because of an anomaly, it cannot restore itself. It is said that there were once 4 great Warlords who ruled and divided the lands in their names. They were Liu Bei of Shu, Cao Cao of Wei, Sun Jian of Wu and Dong Zhuo. One of them emerged victorious, but someone or something meddled with the timeline of that land. Now it is just a cycle of endless warfare where soldiers and generals who were supposed to stay dead are being revived to fight again. ''But it doesn''t make sense! If there is no end to this war, then how does our appearance make a difference?'' She did not answer immediately. Aeryssya stood up and walked over to the window, looking out to the full moon. At that moment, I was seized by a wild impulse to just hug her. She looked so forlorn that I just felt so sad for her. A tear rolled down her cheek as she answered. ''I don''t know nor care what difference it makes. All I know is that my sister... Well, my sources informed me that she was sighted there.'' She turned to look at me with a dismal expression and at that moment, I knew what she wanted to ask of me. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ''Crow, I know this is a little much to ask from you, but can you help me find my sister?'' I drank the broth in silence as I brooded over the turn of events. All this was getting too much for me to handle. All I asked for when I signed up for this game was just a chance to talk to Vanessa. Now that chance is already meaningless, and I''m tied down with these commitments instead. But still, I could probably get some reward out of this. ''Very well. I shall help you in your quest.'' Her face lit up like stars in the sky. ''Really? You will?'' She asked, ''oh thank you so much!'' That was the end of that episode. I knew my abilities and levels were too low to even begin to attempt the quest so I had to improve my abilities. For the next month within the game, I trained hard. I took part in hunting groups that frequented dungeons and killing bosses. And it was during one of those hunting trips that I obtained my first summon. For most mages, it was common to have summons. Most mages preferred golems because golems serve as tanks that would draw enemies'' attention while they dish out damage from behind. But.. I knew my very own summon had to be different. I wanted a creature that would have more of a mind of its own instead of some mindless golem. And so it was, I was on a hunting group with Cluck and a few other players on a mission to clear out the Temple of Storms, a previously unexplored dungeon. Cluck had leveled himself up to the extent that his tanking abilities were too extreme; normal tanks would only pull 2-3 mobs at one go; Cluck pulled the entire room. He would ride his mighty horse into the fray and charge every single monster, using his lance to deflect almost every single projectile thrown at him. He was very much like a war machine in the battlefield. Fortunately, we had two healers who spent most of their mana keeping him alive while the rest of us rain deaths upon the mobs. We descended down the temple floors and eventually engaged with the final boss, which was a saber-toothed mammoth. It was easily 15 foot tall, and breathed heavily. It eyed us menacingly, daring us to attack it. That never stopped Cluck though; he gave a war-cry and spurred his steed forwards. The fight begun. With taunts and war-cries, Cluck kept the attention of the mammoth on him all the time. Swinging his trunk back and forth, with the strength and ferocity of a hundred men, the mammoth knocked Cluck back a couple of times. Meanwhile, I let loose streaks of offensive spells against the mammoth, causing it to scream and thrash about in agony. As a protective measure, I kept Barrier on as well. Boulder Smash worked perfectly against its legs, as the rocks I lifted smashed right into it, causing it to buckle and fall. After about 15 minutes, the beast gave its final groan before it stopped moving. Almost systematically, we proceeded forwards to divide the loot. During my travels, I had picked up the ability to conjure up portals. I created one that linked up to the Forest of No Return. I was the last to step through and just as I was about to step inside, my heightened magical senses detected a strong magical sigma in the room. I looked around, my defences at the ready. I detected the sigma again, this time coming from the altar behind the boss. I stepped forwards slowly, a spell at my fingertips. On the altar was a miniature statue of a cat. It had on a headguard that was studded with a single diamond. Curiously, it was the one emitting the magical sigma. Faint, yet it felt alive somehow. As though there was a living soul trapped within. I reached out, and grabbed it. I braced for an imminent attack, but nothing happened. I tried to take it but it would not budge. Yet, it was still calling out to me. It seemed as if using physical means would not get me the statue. I decided to play on a hunch. ''Telekinesis!'' The statue still refused to move. I felt like a fool for even trying. This was probably an item for a quest that required special means. To liberate it would probably a great amount of power. Power... Of course! ''Mana Manifest!'' I willed the flow of mana into my palms and exerted the flow towards the statue. It began to vibrate! Excitedly, I pressed on the mana flow, increasing the rate. After a few minutes, the stone began to peel off. The cat slowly moved its paws. The stone flakes fell off its head and it started to blink. Pretty soon, the cat regained movement for its entire body. It was looking at me hungrily. I fished about my bag, and found some meat, which I threw towards it. Almost immediately, it literally flared with flames! *DING*
[p=center] You have gained new Pet : Cinders! Cinders is a feline Familiar that you can summon at your will. When in battle, it will morph into a saber that will tear apart your enemies. Otherwise, it will stay as a small tabby cat when not threathened. Abilities : Roar, Slash, Elemental Morph. Elemental Morph : Cinders has the ability to transform itself to react to the situation. When dealing with elemental foes, it will morph its base element to counter its foe. Familiars : Familiars do not cost mana to exist. However, if they lose all their HP, they must be revived at a Spirit Healer in town. When not called upon, they will return to the Void.[/p]
So my first summon was... A cat. Not quite what I expected, but it sounded like a useful summon still. So that was the story of how I met Cinders. Oh by the way, did I mention that Dennis is gay? But that... Is a story for next time. Next Chapter? Spell 18 : The Arts Spell 18 : The Arts
[p=center] THE STRAITS TIMES REPORT : MAJOR MOVEMENTS AHEAD FOR LATEST GAME WONDER, ROYALROAD[/p] In a press conference held last Friday, Unicorn Inc. has stated that many changes will be coming to the game in the upcoming month. ''Most gamers,'' said Unicorn President, Mr Chia, ''are unhappy with several factors of the game. For example, some complain the pain factor was too much for them. In response to this, we have introduced a pain slider, where players can adjust the pain threshold that they will experience while taking damage in the game. This gives the players the freedom to choose the kind of playing experience they desire. Of course, damage calculators will remain as they are.'' In short, Unicorn Inc. has declared that in light of the popularity of the game, it has decided to move in a new direction to give players control over the kind of gaming experience they are looking for, rather than decide for them. Here is a list of factor changes you will come to expect : 1. Pain Slider. 2. New PVP system : Players MUST agree to fight in duel invitations, unless they are already flagged for PVP. Failure to do so will incur upon them the Murder Mark, recognisable by players and NPCs alike. 3. New Quest Design System : Players can now give quests to other players, within certain parameters. No quest given can involve killing NPCs or players. If players wish to design a long quest storyline, they are to submit a storyboard for approval by game management. 4. AI Components Improved : You may now interact on a more intimate level with the NPCs. Their responses have also been slightly tweaked to suit their created personas. 5. More monsters and areas added. 6. Death Penalty : A maximum amount of 10% of their current gold can be stolen. Items that are soul-bound cannot be stolen. In addition, when players die, they will not be logged out of the game. They will be revived at a nearby temple of their chosen Aspect. If they do not plan on selecting an Aspect, they will instead be revived in a nearby graveyard instead. Players also suffer 75% loss in durability for their equipment when they die. 7. Aspects : Aspects are celestial beings that have left a touch on the world of RoyalRoad. New faiths and religions have sprung up in the name of these Aspects. Players can only have one Religion at a time. When asked if these changes will in future include a new name for the game, Mr Chia said, ''I don''t have to change it. It''s being changed every second. People aren''t playing RoyalRoad; they''re already playing out a story they call their own.'' Not too much of a political answer, but we will take it.
I let out a low whistle as I read the newspaper in the living room. These changes were huge; they basically affected everyone who were playing RoyalRoad. It seemed like Unicorn Inc. was trying its best to please all of the gamers while at the same time trying to make the game more fair for its players. I went up to my room and took out my notes to study. The thing about living in an Asian country is that we''re pretty much too hyped up with education. Everything is all about studying hard and making the hours count. Every moment of procastination is seen more as a crime than a sin. But of course, luckily for some of us, we were born with academic prowess in exchange for athletic flaws. I finished my readings in about an hour, and went straight into RoyalRoad. I was in the same city where I had previously left off the night before. Here in Steam Society, everything was all about steam power. The entire city was laid out in neat rows, and in between each row was a river where ordinary citizens were doing their daily laundry. Transportation around the city was pretty much supported by their air-tram network. Wires that resembled power grids hung about 50 metres above ground and from time to time, carriages would just swing past with either people or cargo inside. The only form of military presence here were mechanical robots that patrolled up and down the streets. What am I doing here, you ask? To discover the secret of steam magic. As always, I am alone in my travel here. On a quest sent by the Council, my official task here was to act as a diplomat. But my true purpose for coming here was to discover the secret behind steam engineering. And find some way to enhance the arcane sentinels the Forest had for its own protection. Before I left the Forest, one of the Council members, Arcanist Ghud, had taught me a few spells to aid me in my quest. *DING*
[p=center] You have learnt a new Spell : Tempest Seal Tempest Seal Beginner Level 1 Places a Seal on an enemy target. For every instance of damage received, the target will be slowed and take damage over time. This effect can stack up to 10 times. Manacost : 250 Cooldown : 30s[/p]
[p=center] You have learnt a new Spell : Ward of Arcana Ward of Arcana Beginner Level 1 Summons an immobile ward that shoots out Arcane bolts at enemies at close range. Attacks have a chance to bounce to a nearby enemy target. Manacost : 50 Cooldown : 5s[/p]
And of course, I didn''t had to wait to Invoke the two...
[p=center] You have gained a new Spell : Tempest Storm (Unique Invoked) Tempest Storm Beginner Level 1 Conjures up a Tempest field with an AOE(Area of Effect) for a duration that depends on the level of Ward of Arcana. All enemy units in the field will be silenced and slowed. In addition, enemies who take damage while under the effects of Tempest Storm will take additional Arcane damage and stunned for a duration based on the level of Tempest Seal. Manacost : 1200 Cooldown : 60s[/p]
Now imagine if I used all 3 spells together at once. I don''t have to tell you that the combination of all 3 spells together at the same time will deal widespread devastation to groups of enemies placed together. Who can run away from being slowed, stunned and silenced at the same time? He had also taught me the ability to Blink, a common Mage spell to teleport a short distance away from where I stood, as well as Arcane Knowledge, which further enhances my magically heightened senses to detect magical traces in my surroundings. A detailed map of Steam Society was also given to me. So here I was, a level 108 Invoker in a small coffee place right next to the dull river, more prepared than anyone in this city to study its finest secrets. The game had also taken the liberty to add the newspaper feature into literate cities, so I had purchased a copy of the city''s paper to read for myself. Prior to this, I had zero knowledge of the city so I thought that it would have been good for me to read up on it first. Thanks to Fast Reading, my first ever basic Skill, reading was a breeze. I finished my coffee and paper and stood up. The waiter flew over with the bill, which I paid for with 50 additional Silvers as tip. He bowed most graciously and would not stop thanking me until I was out of the shop. It was extremely warm outside. With the entire city being run on steam power, naturally the temperature of the environment would also be high. No plants ever lived here either. Fortunately, the sun wasn''t blazing hot or else this city would have been a complete desert. I pulled up my hood to cover my face and I walked down the street. Inconspicuous was the way to go when doing spying work. These days, only the low levels went about with their faces revealed, and they were the ones usually being stopped for questioning. Most people left the high levels alone to conduct their own business for fear of retribution. My first stop in mind was the Central Engines, Steam Society''s government building. They were aware that I am coming here, and so I was taking no chances until I could be absolutely sure I wasn''t being followed around by unwanted eyes. I felt like I had stepped into an asylum or a mental hospital of some sorts. Everything was just a bleak white. The walls, the tables, the lamps etc. Nothing had any sort of color in it. And the temperature had dropped to a low single digit Celcius. The doors shut behind me automatically with a click. Another set opened on my right, and a clean-shaven gentleman entered briskly in his white blazer and trousers. The only thing that wasn''t bleached on him was his hair and pupils. ''Welcome, to the Central Engines, Magi Crow of the Council. We have expected your arrival. Please follow me. Our President would most like to see you at once.'' He said, extending a gloved hand behind him. I nodded and followed him down the corridor. The longer I stayed in this place, the more I felt like I was losing my mind. Everything was just too...Clean. Like pristine. It wasn''t just being neat and tidy with this organisation. I felt like I stood out so badly that I had nowhere to hide myself. As if I was completely exposed. Silently, I cast Barrier. Not that I expected any attack, but emotionally it stabled me. The steward led me through another set of white doors. This room contained a lot more people wearing whitewashed items. They were all standing around, holding glasses of champagne. Evidently, I had just walked in on a mini-party. It was all I could do to stop myself from swearing out loud. And lucky I did too, for the one with a head full of red hair approached me and shook my hands. ''Magi Crow, welcome! Do take a seat. Maholey! Get him a glass of champagne this instant, or I will fire you!'' Red-hair said and gestured me towards a conference table. The room grew quiet as everyone stopped their discussions and followed suit in taking up seats at the conference table as well. The steward came back with a glass half-filled with champagne. I took it and thanked him graciously. Returning my attention to Red-Hair, whom I noticed, had been staring at me ever since I sat down. ''Magi Crow, so pleased that you can make it here to my humble abode. When did you arrive? We had thought that you were caught up in some delay.'' Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ''My apologies, sir. I arrived yesterday actually. I was just settling into my accomodations.'' ''I do hope that you are comfortable with your lodgings. If you find anything displeasing at all, pray do tell us. We could always shift you here, where it is much more comfortable than you can imagine.'' ''I thank you for your kind gesture, sir, but I must decline. I am afterall, just a humble diplomat.'' ''Nonsense! Any friend of Steam Society is welcome to stay here! Still, I understand that you require your privacy so I shall leave it to you. Our doors are always open, should you change your mind, Magi Crow.'' ''I thank you, sir. Now, I believe we can move on with the agenda?'' And so the conference began. It was just on the usual topics of diplomacy, and on trade and agreements. The meeting concluded with a success, according to Red-Hair. I hastily excused myself when I found the opportunity to disappear. The truth was, I had no intention of staying any longer. That was meeting was just a facade. As I have mentioned, my true order of business here was to learn their secret, but that meeting did nothing at all to point me in the right direction. I did learn one thing though. I was really being trailed. I had no idea who, and how, but they gave themselves away when they sent the steward to bring me into the conference room directly. Protocol dictates that anyone with an unknown identity has to go through security screening first before entering a conference room filled with government officials. I never declared my identity, but they somehow knew I was coming, and had even gotten the entire government ready as soon as I entered. I lied too about arriving the day before. A decoy was sent ahead instead of my real self to the hotel I was staying at yesterday. Red-Hair did not look surprised at all when I told him my arrival date, which confirmed my suspicions that he had already known beforehand that I had arrived yesterday. And he would never had known unless he was keeping a watch on me. Which makes this secret order of business a few notches tougher because there was no way I could do anything in private unless I determine and shake off whoever or whatever that was keeping tabs on me. Luckily, I came prepared for this. I had a Communicater, which could let me hold conversations with whoever it is holding onto its pair. I spoke into it. ''Hello? Is that you, Crow? I hear you loud and clear. How is the mission going? Have you found out anything yet?'' ''Not at the moment unfortunately, Aeryssya. I managed to close the trade agreements with them. But they were not too keen on discussing other things, so I left. Also, they have a trail on me. I don''t know how they are doing it, but it seems like I''m safe in my hotel. They didn''t manage to pick up on the decoy we sent, you see.'' There was a silence on the other end. ''There is nothing I can find here on my side here in the Forest either. If their informant is not able to spy on you while you are inside a building, they could be somewhere in the environment. Try looking outside, and see what you can find. As a precaution, stay away from the windows. My apologies, but I cannot help you much on this.'' ''Anyway, I hope you can swiftly end this mission and return. I am anxious to start our quest into the Sands of Time to find my sister. I know the Council set you this mission to prove your worth, and so I wish you success in this. Return safely, Crow.'' And so the conversation ended. I kept the Communicater in my trunk locked and left the hotel again. I went back to the same coffee place. The waiter greeted me most enthusiastically and gave me the table by the balcony when I asked for an outdoor seating. I ordered some food and the waiter left. I looked around the room, and with the help of Arcane Knowledge, I studied the room. There was magic in the room, but it was mostly concentrated near the appliances, where steam energy is giving power to these appliances. There was nothing out of place about this room. Could it be some rogue that''s invisible? And so it was, I spent the next 2 days walking around the city, learning as much as I could about it. I gathered that since the only legal way for me to find out about the steam magic was unavailable, I could only turn to unlawful methods. And that was to seek out the city''s misfits. But I could not seek them out directly, until I manage to shake off whoever that is following me. I knew I was still being followed, because from time to time I would still receive parcels courtesy of the government at my door whenever I return back to the hotel. For lunch and dinner, I would return back to the same coffee place. The waiter that I met on the first day had become my steady friend. He would always reserve for me the same balcony table and would linger for a moment to chat whenever he brings the food. ''Dear sir, here''s the steak you ordered. I am pleased to see that you enjoy our food so much to keep coming back here.'' ''Yes, the food is excellent. It is quite near to the hotel I''m currently staying at too, so it is really convenient.'' ''Convenience is our trademark here, sir, in Steam Society. Our trams make travelling so much easier. You should try using the trams to get around the city.'' ''I notice quite a lot of citizens don''t make use of the trams much here though. Most of them are actually walking on foot.'' ''Well... It is pretty expensive to maintain steam energy here, sir. The government has to charge higher fees for using these trams. It is a trade though; clean energy for higher monetary costs. Our government justifies it just right.'' ''I see. Well, thank you for the meal.'' ''You enjoy yours, sir. You can look at the trams from here if you wish, sir, though I have no idea why so many of them pass by whenever you are here, sir. Usually, it is so quiet around these parts. I must be going; a table is calling.'' I ate my meal in silence. As a tram rushed by, I managed to catch a glimpse of it before it zoomed away. It was completely empty. That felt odd to me. I mean, if was expensive to use these trams, why were empty ones moving around? Another one flew by after 5 minutes. This one too was empty. Then, it dawned on me. These trams were the eyes of the government! It all made sense! The waiter said that usually there would not be so many trams moving around these parts. Logically, one can assume it was because people of these parts don''t take the trams much due to the high toll. And yet, whenever I am here, trams would rush about these parts ever so frequently. They couldn''t wait for a full load of people before they sent out a tram, or otherwise I would be gone during the interval time between each passing tram. If I have to disappear, it had to be when there is no tram nearby. I waited for the next tram, and sure enough, this time it only had 2 passengers. What the hell is this government doing? Are they so scared of outsiders in their city? Knowing that I only had minutes, I had to disappear now. I leapt up from my table, knocking over my chair. Heads turned around to me in annoyance at the disturbance but I didn''t care. The waiter came forward at once, worried that I might have found something displeasing about the food. I gave him a Gold piece and thanked him for the meal. He began his chant of thanks again but I had no time to pay heed to him. I left the coffee place and pulled my hood on. I looked about for a dark alleyway. The nearest one was across the river on the other side. The next tram would be along in about 2 minutes. Quickly, I strode across the bridge to the other street and made it just in time before the alleyway. I pretended to lean against the glass of a sweet shop and do some window-shopping. The moment the tram left, I checked for any incoming trams. The coast was clear; I stepped straight into the alleyway and cast Mistcloak on myself. I emerged out of the alleyway, but this time, I was invisible. I had to get out of there immediately. Whoever that was spying on me would last see me near that alleyway and sweet shop. Once the next tram comes along and finds me missing, and that no other tram can find me, they''ll panic and send the mechanical sentries in. Best be out of there before that happens. I headed straight to the slums. By now the city''s mechanical robots were in full activity. They were all rushing towards the direction I came from. I regretted the Council''s decision to send me here as a diplomat; had I came here as a normal traveller instead, this would have been much easier. There were no trams in the slums, because the government saw no need to build one. They knew misfits and criminals lurked around in the slums, but they were not afraid of these minorities. If anything, they could just send out a bunch of mechanical sentries in and conduct genocide. Inside here it was much easier to move around because everyone kept their identities hidden. Mistcloak had worn off and I was visible again. Inconspicuous though I was, I felt I was being watched by 10 pairs of eyes. But I knew these were not the eyes of government officials; these were eyes of the rulers of the slums. As long as I played by their rules, I knew I was safe. I walked around for quite a bit, and realised only too late I was lost. I walked right into a dead end and was just about to turn back when I found my exit blocked by a band of mean-looking thugs. They were all holding sharp weapons of some sort; some brute was even carrying a morning-star. I mean, who the hell still uses a morning-star in this age? Their leader, I take it from how he was standing in front, stepped forwards with his arms folded. ''What business do you have here, stranger and outsider?'' He asked threateningly. ''I am here on rather unofficial business. I need to speak to someone about a secret.'' On hearing this, he laughed. ''You mean, you want to learn about the city''s secret, isn''t it? And when you could not learn it from the outside world, you thought that you could stand a chance here?'' He laughed even more, and his group of thugs echoed after him. ''No one will hear you scream here. The slums belong to us.'' Almost immediately, his whole band of thugs charged forwards as one. I clenched my fists angrily. Seems like the time for diplomacy is over. Next Chapter? Spell 19 : The Compression Spell 19 : The Compression I thought it was high time that I got to use my new Invoked spells. ''Cast Tempest Storm!'' A swirl of arcane energy marked by streaks of purple lightning formed up in the area right before me. Because this was an Unique Invoke, the spell''s potential was augmented. I did not have to level its constituent spells much in order to make the Invoked spell stronger. The size of the field was just about enough to get all of them together at once. Without wasting time, I summoned an Arcana Ward. Due to the effects of Tempest Storm, they were having a tough time reaching me. It was like trying to cross quicksand while getting stunned all the time. Still, they were not dying. Well, I haven''t use this one in a while... ''Cast Meteor!'' A gigantic boulder of flames and ash fell from the sky and smashed into a couple of them with a resounding crack. It did not stop there however; with the help of Telekinesis, I rolled the massive boulder around, leaving pain and devastation in its wake. It crumbled just as I wiped out 80% of the group. The rest I took care of with Frostfire Bolt and Sunflare. The battle had ended as soon as it had begun. Luckily, these mobsters were just Humanoid-class monsters, and were the most vulnerable of the monster classes. Their leader was standing there with a dumbfounded expression on his face. He had not expected himself to be the one being confronted now instead. Recovering from his shock, he turned tail and made a run for it. I had just about enough mana to cast Lights of Heaven on him. Swords of pure light came down from the sky and impaled him from all angles, keeping him in place. It was all he could do to squeal in pain. I walked over calmly to him. The moment he saw me walking towards him, he squealed again, even louder this time. How did this guy even become a pack leader anyway? ''Yo, where were you trying to run off to? I''m not done with you yet.'' ''Mercy, o'' Great Mage. I didn''t mean to attack you. It was just in a moment''s worth of foolishness, I swear!'' ''Then, why the hell did you attack me with your friends?'' ''You can''t just walk into the slums without declaring yourself, o'' Mighty O-one! If you had just made yourself known before you step foot i-i-in here, nobody would even dare to approach you!'' ''So you''re saying it''s my fault?'' ''Not at a-all!'' ''Alright. Enough of this bullshit. Tell me, where can I find a rogue engineer around here? Or a mechanic of some sort. Someone who knows about steam magic around here.'' ''I-I know just the person! His name is Twidllyfix. He''s a Goblin who came from Stonewerks. He''ll tell you everything you need to know, I swear!'' ''Okay. Let''s go then. And if I find that you''re lying, don''t think you''re gonna end up just like your buddies there. I know spells that can send you to Hell and back.'' I removed the swords from him and for a moment, he stood there until he regained movement in his limbs. It was quite a journey, for the entire of the slums was made up of mazes and even more mazes of alleyways. For a few times, my guide would stand looking a little puzzled at intersections. Then, he would give a sigh of relief and choose the next direction to head towards. I had no idea whether he was right or wrong, but I kept my spells at the ready. Cinders was also on my shoulder, just in case. Finally, we arrived at a shop of some sort. Its signboard was barely kept hanging by a single nail, and the windows were all fogged up. Clanking noises could be heard from the interior of the shop. It was typically a nondescript mechanic shop. The man stuck his head into the shop and yelled out Twiddlyfix''s name. A moment later, a small green figure appeared in a dirty one-piece overall with goggles perched on top of his forehead. In his left hand, he clutched a spanner and on his other hand, he was holding onto something that resembled a mine. When he spoke, he sounded a lot like the cartoon character, Scooby Doo. ''What up, Bukko? What''chu calling me for?'' ''Twiddlyfix, here''s a man looking for you!'' And he ran off without even looking back. I looked at him go, thinking whether I should make him come back. Cinders growled, but I patted him down. The goblin was looking at me with a lot of interest. ''So, what business do you have with me, mage? Look, I gotta warn ya, I don''t do deals with no gold!'' ''I have gold-'' I replied, but he cut me off before I could even finish the sentence. ''Then come right in, dear customer! Twiddlyfix''s isn''t known for its inhospitality to its dearest guests!'' I stepped into the workshop and was instantly greeted by vapours of hot air from all the engines around. There were so many contraptions that you couldn''t even count them even if you spent one whole day in here. Most of them were actually alive and moving around on their own. To be able to create such machines, this goblin must be quite highly-skilled in Engineering. He cleared some space by his kitchen for us to sit, which was simply an area of white tiles, a fridge of some sort and an oven. To be honest, if you asked me, I wouldn''t know what a normal goblin''s diet was. It looked like he doesn''t do much of his own cooking himself. I sat down opposite him, in a bean chair he pulled out from somewhere. He was sipping some cola on his own bean chair and looked very relaxed. I waited for him to finish his drink before I initiated the conversation. ''Look, Mr Twiddlyfix, I am here because I need to know something. Can you teach me about steam magic?'' I asked, looking into his black eyes. The goblin did not answer immediately; he kept his fingers together and sat quietly for a minute. Then, he spoke. ''I could teach you a little or two, but it is going to be a steep price.'' ''I have gold, if that''s what you wa-'' Again, I was interrupted at the mention of gold. ''Keep your gold. The price I am asking for is way higher than gold. I want you to do a favour for an old goblin like me. Then we shall talk.'' Goblins were known to be very bad businessmen to deal with when it comes to talking terms. Usually, people who attempt to deal with goblins come out even poorer than before. The terms are never even when talking to goblins. They were fiendishly greedy and selfish creatures. Usually, the only way to make a goblin talk is by threats, but this one seemed a little too superior for that. ''What kind of favour?'' I asked. ''Simple. I need you to steal something for me.'' ''That sounds easy. What do I have to take?'' ''I need a Frozen Core. All living machinery require Cores in order to move about and function. This Frozen Core I''m talking about is made by infusing shards of ice from the mountains of the Isle of Glaciers, home to the mammoths, with a metallic Core. It is so rare that there is only one known location of it in the world currently. Of course, it is heavily guarded and its theft would bring so much wrath upon the thief that he might not even make it out alive.'' I knew where this conversation was heading towards. ''So, you want me to steal from the Central Engines?'' The goblin smiled, showing a set of yellow and unpolished teeth. ''Now we''re talking.'' *DING*
[p=center]Quest Received! You are to proceed to the Central Engines, the government building of Steam Society to obtain a Frozen Core for Twiddlyfix. In exchange, he will teach you about Steam Magic. Quest Difficulty : B Failure : If you should fail the quest, your identity will be compromised and you will be banished from Steam Society. All trade agreements and negotiations between Steam Society and the Forest of No Return previously agreed upon would be nulled. [/p]
Over the next few hours, we planned the details for the mission to be carried out. It was not an easy one, seeing as the Central Engines was not only impregnable, it was heavily guarded by snipers. Coupled with the fact that now the entire police force is mobilised to find the missing me, who vanished along a sweet-shop, this was near impossible. I wasn''t even a rogue to start with. Previously, I was trying to catch a thief. Now I''m being one? Fate does play funny tricks on people... The Frozen Core would be found in a vault located in the highest point of the building, where any thief would be visible. By placing the Frozen Core in a high vantage point, Steam Society was playing a very risky game. On one hand, it made the loot extremely visible but on the other, it made all attempts to steal it very feeble as well. Nightfall soon came, and I made ready to begin the mission. Throughout the entire day, I had to deal with Twiddlyfix''s customers, who had long heard of the new stranger present in the slums and were extremely curious to find out who it was that took care of Bukko and his crew. They were a whole bunch of oddities, from all sorts of various races I had never seen before. Just as I was about to leave, Twiddlyfix gave me a little tip. Or rather, he refused to give me that tip until I gave him 5 gold pieces. ''Consider this as down payment for taking up the quest. Steam engineering, or as you call it steam magic, makes use of volatile magic. You will find that traces of magic will only be present where it is being called upon, and not around the entire machination itself. Look around at the gadgets around the city, and you''ll know what I mean. I know you have the ability to detect magic; I saw you studying all my trinkets today. In places where I keep my secrets too, I add.'' ''May fortune smile on you, mage.'' He bowed me out of the shop. I slung my bag over my shoulder and walked back into the maze of alleyways. Fortunately, Twiddlyfix had devised a little gadget that, when punched in with coordinates, would point me in the right direction. I revised the entire plan in my head as I moved along in accordance to the gadget. So, the plan was simple. I would make my way to one of the giant air vents that lead directly into the central engine rooms that sends out the steam energy to the entire city. Of course, I have only 15 minutes at most to make it into the engine rooms before the air vent that I would be in would be flooded with steam. Of which, no doubt I would be cooked alive. Anyway, once I have entered the central engine rooms, I would have to make my way up to the main office, find the key to the vault and steal it. Only then can I make my way up to the top, find some way to distract all the guards present, open the vault and steal the Frozen Core. Then I would jump off the tower using one of Twiddlyfix''s ingenious rocket parachutes. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. No matter how I look at it, I''m f***ed for this quest. There''s no way in hell I can finish this. All this just for some government secret. I''m not even getting the better end of the deal. To start off, I had already lost 5 gold pieces. Failing this quest would also land me in dire straits. But if I can complete this quest, not only can I learn steam magic, I might potentially earn myself a spot in the Council for real. To be part of the ruling party over a major Elf settlement was a very big deal in this game. Basically, I would make decisions that would affect populations close to millions, at the rate this game was growing. And so, under the cover of darkness and Mistcloak, I emerged out of the slum entrance. Faced with overwhelming odds, I had no choice but to grit my teeth and move on. ________________________________________________________________ ''Bambsie! How many more monsters do we need to kill before we clear out this place?'' ''Not many left I think! A lot of them were blown to smithereens when they stepped over my trip flares!'' ''Are you sure they were monsters and not players? Remember the other time...?'' ''Oh shut it, that was an accident! I''ve upgraded my bombs now; they only recognise monsters!'' So while I was off on an errand in Steam Society, my friends were also busy hunting down crafting materials for their individual professions that they had each taken up on. Their party of 5 was so evenly matched that they were already setting record timings in clearing out dungeons and monster nests. ''Dragon Dance 2nd Movement, Flaming Rage of the Heavenly Serpent!'' With her claymore sword enshrouded in menacing flames, Vanyssa danced about gracefully, taking care of large groups of monsters in a few swings of her over-sized sword. They were facing the Forsaken Ones, cousins of the Forgotten Ones I had met back in the Grand Enchantium a while ago. Though more powerful, these pitiful monsters were no match for these powerful adventurers who had stepped foot into their enclave. Dennis was also brandishing his own weapon, which was a foil. He was a Fencer by class, and though no more graceful than Vanyssa, he managed to slice and kill off many monsters on his own as well. Coupled with Cluck''s maniac fighting style, they were proving quite the fight against these creatures. Saber was doing some healing and empowering his allies at the same time. Floor after floor, the Swarm of Nightmares was slowly being cleaned out by these crazy fighters. After the battle, they sat around a pot of stewed chicken, courtesy to Bambsie, who picked up Cooking on his own as well. They tucked in once they had finished dividing out the spoils of the dungeon. ''So... Where''s Crow these days? Haven''t really seen him at all.'' Vanyssa quietly dranked her soup. She had fine manners as a lady and ate her stew in a most feminine way. Dennis too was eating like a fine young gentleman, quite unlike the other 3 savages who were basically devouring everything in their bowls like vacuum cleaners. ''Crow? Mmm, last I heard he had to go back to his starting town to settle some old quests. I don''t think he''s coming back very soon either.'' Saber was the first to finish and he stood up to keep his bowl back into Bambsie''s Cooking bag. ''I think he must have hit up some rare quests or something and doesn''t want to share it with us, that selfish piece of shit. Anyway, thank God you and Dennis are around. Without Crow, we can''t really do much damage to the monsters here by ourselves.'' Cluck said, in between mouthfuls of his food. Dennis had just finished his own portion and had went up to join Bambsie, who was fiddling with some bottles, leaving Cluck and Vanyssa alone by the fire. ''So... When did you and Dennis..'' Cluck asked slyly, nudging Vanyssa in the ribs. She replied by almost gagging on her soup and when she could not hold it in her mouth any longer, she spat everything out, losing her ladylike demeanour instantly. ''WHAT?! Dennis and I?! Are you crazy?!'' She looked at Cluck with a bewildered expression. Then she started laughing, and could not quite control her mirth for a while. ''Oh no, you must have gotten it wrong, Cluck. He and I, we aren''t an item. We can never be, given his... Well...'' She hesitated. Cluck could sense he had stumbled onto some big secret and his stalker senses were on full alert. ''Well what, Vanyssa?'' ''I don''t think I''m at liberty to say here, Cluck. I did him promise not to tell...'' ''He''s gay, isn''t it?'' Her eyes widened in shock, and that was the answer Cluck needed. In the back of his mind, he was grinning like the Green Goblin. Oh, Julius, you''re so gonna soak your pants when you hear this juicy news! ________________________________________________________________ Demonic energy swirled around his twin pistols as he stood before a recently-crushed pedestal. His eyes were also burning with the same emerald demonic colours and his hair was flying up like a banshee. A figure of formidable power, the Hel energy died down as he lowered his weapons. A burly figure clutching onto a polearm walked up to him, with the same emerald glows burning out from the shadows created in his hood that hid his face. He knelt down on one knee. ''Boss, Selemez has just finished her Dream Pact. The entire crew has sealed the Pact and are awaiting your next set of instructions.'' The Gunslinger made a clicking sound with his tongue and almost instantly, 7 more shadowy figures appeared by his side, all of them had the same Helfire glow around their weapons and eyes. ''Shadow Bullets!'' ''Haste!'' ''Dark Marksmanship!'' After buffing his entire crew, the gunslinger dashed forward into the next room. The 7 shadowy figures, along with the burly figure, rushed together in the same direction as their leader. Words cannot describe the carnage that followed afterwards. The Gunslinger unleashed rain upon rain of demonic shrapnel onto the undead zombies that tried to get near him. They were bombarded by Helfire and within seconds into the fight, only their dying sounds could be heard as they burnt down into crisps. Some of the zombies tried to run but they were either cut down or burnt as well by the gunslinger''s crew. ''Clear!'' He shouted, before moving off into the next room. This time, the zombies were all scattered along the wall perimeter. He took a step forward, and leapt into the air near the center of the room. ''Spinning Ricochet!'' With his head towards the floor while his legs faced the ceiling, he spun around in a 360 degrees turn while releasing sprays of demonic fire. These projectiles ricocheted off the walls towards anything and everything that they can burn. Since there were only zombies around, the demonic fire consumed nothing but the zombies. Room after room, they cleared all the monsters with a relish akin to demons themselves and letting nothing survive. Pretty soon, they came into a room where only a necromancer was around. Before he could even turn round to face his adversaries, a bullet went through his knee and he fell onto the floor, his staff rolling several feet away from him. The necromancer tried to stand up, but another bullet flew through his ankle and he was on the floor again. He turned to look at the Gunslinger and was about to open his mouth when yet another bullet flew through his cheek and went out from the other. He screamed in agony and fell backwards onto the floor. His hands went up to his cheek as purple blood flowed like a river from the hole in his cheeks. He had no time to worry about that, as 9 figures loomed up around him. In a voice as soft as death, the necromancer asked, ''w-who are you?'' The Gunslinger smiled. ''Me? Well, since you''re gonna die, I don''t suppose it matters. My name is Tidus, of the Helfire Clan.'' And that was the last the necromancer ever saw or heard again. Next Chapter? Spell 20 : The Mission Spell 20 :The Mission No patrols around this area, thank goodness. With the help of Twiddlyfix''s device, I managed to manoeuvre my way out of the twisting alleyways that which make up the entire slums. The only problem was that it was emitting a hell lot of beeps. Trust a genius like Twiddlyfix to come up with an amazing gadget like this only to make it completely unconcealable. The city was as dead as a ghost town. As I followed the directions of Twiddlyfix''s device, I checked around for any signs of activity. There was no one about as my eyes could take me. It was odd; the time now could not be less than 3 hours to midnight and yet all activities within the city had been ceased. Yet trams were still moving about, though I could not see if they were carrying people from where I was standing. I was just about to continue following the gadget''s direction when I just remembered something horrific. My trunk! Because I had followed my instincts and dashed out of the cafe only to find myself heading straight to the slums, I had completely forgotten that all my secret items, including the Communicater, were all back in my trunk in my hotel room! Fortunately, the trunk was locked by magical Seals placed by me and no one else can open it but me. Destroying the trunk would had destroyed its contents as well, and if the Steam government had indeed broken into my room after I had disappeared off their grid earlier this afternoon to steal my trunk, they would wait for me to return to question me. If they really had suspicions about my true intent here. RIght now, I was faced with a dilemma. I could either follow through with the plan and try to break into a heavily secured fortress where security is bound to be further tightened, or I could risk going back to my hotel. I considered my options, and decided to go with returning back to the hotel. Technically speaking, I had not broken any law... Yet. Steam government might have reason to suspect my intentions for coming here, especially with that vanishing stunt I pulled, but if they were to make any attempts to capture me, it would border on a conflict between two different factions. An interracial conflict too, if I might add, seeing that I''m an Elf. Also, there was nothing wrong with me returning back to my hotel. They have no reason to stop me, but I have more reason to question them if I find my trunk missing or damaged in any way, which I can hold Steam government accountable. The hotel loomed into the distance. I could make out the olden European-like architecture that was the hotel against the night sky. I stopped myself before I enter the garden that led to the hotel entrance. I wanted to be sure there were no sentries around, just in case. The gardens were empty, save for a few dogs that were chasing after a man who looked like he was delivering sausages. Mistcloak had worn off, and I was visible again. I entered the hotel. Nothing was amiss. There were some people walking about, and a few were eating a late dinner over at the cafe. I walked right up to the counter and the receptionist greeted me as usual. He handed me the key to my room and told me to have a good night. I gave my thanks and headed upstairs. Everything was quiet in the hallways. I could not shake off the feeling that all this was going too smoothly. It''s kinda like that feeling you get when you''re doing an exam, and you''re finding the paper too easy. Like there''s supposed to be a trick question somewhere that will kick you right in the face but you just can''t seem to find it. I came to my door. Before I inserted the key, I closed my eyes and tried to probe around with Arcane Knowledge. Nothing was amiss. I unlocked the door and went in. Everything was just as I had left it. I went straight to my trunk. There was no sign of any break-in. I removed the Seals and the trunk split open, revealing the set of papers I had received from the meeting I had with Steam government at the Central Engines a few days ago as well as the Communicater. Then, I heard a click behind me and Alter Time was triggered. I stood up immediately, and whirled around. I saw no one, or nothing in particular. I was panicking; Alter Time would not have triggered unless I was about to be attacked. But no matter how I looked, I could not see or hear anything. In my desperation, I suddenly recalled what Twiddlyfix had told me before I had left his shop. Steam magic... Volatile...You will find that traces of magic will only be present where it is being called upon, and not around the entire machination itself... My precious 4 seconds was up and I was too late in raising Barrier. There was a blinding flash, and Arcane Knowledge detected a flare underneath the carpet. I was knocked off my feet and collided hard into the wall. The force of the explosion had caused all the papers in the room to fly about in a mess. My vision was blurred, but I could distinctly make out a few figures enter my room. My HP was also dangerously low, and I could not really move. One of the figures stepped forward and I heard a familiar voice. ''Now, now, Mr Diplomat. I''ve heard that you''ve been up to some mischief. Tut tut, is that how a guest should behave?'' I felt rough hands grab me, and the world went black. When I came to, I found myself in a cell that was disturbingly clean and entirely white-washed, like an examination room of a mental hospital. I found that my HP was actually restored. Not a moment too soon, a door opened somewhere and I could hear footsteps approaching my cell. It was Red-Hair, and his associates. He smiled coldly when he saw me. ''A little birdie had told us that you were planning on stealing something from us.'' It was him who spoke to me in my hotel room. I looked up defiantly. ''And who could have told you that? Release me this instant, or you risk war on these lands!'' I heard the same door open again, and this time I heard tiny footsteps. It couldn''t be! Twiddlyfix had joined Red-Hair''s side and grinned at me. ''Sorry,'' Twiddlyfix said, ''but you have to admit, that quest would have gotten you caught anyway. This is much easier. I get what I want, I''m safe, and you''re still caught. At least I get to benefit, eh?'' I was taken aback by the sudden turn of events. Apparently, this was a Scenario, one of the new in-game mechanics that Unicorn Inc. had recently introduced into the game. Most people have complained that doing quests was getting extremely boring and predictable. All you had to do was just follow the quest objectives and headers, and eventually, you''ll get your quest reward and maybe some bonus loot. So in response to that, certain quests have been randomly tagged with Scenarios, where something out of the blue happens and the player taking up the quest has to find some way to resolve the issue himself or he risks failing the quest. I checked my quest objective, and to my relief, I had not failed my original quest, but the one that Twiddlyfix had sent me on was removed already. Count my lucky stars that of all quests that a Scenario pops up, this one had to be one! ''Your gadget,'' Twiddlyfix continued, ''was fixed with its own tracking device as well. That''s what all those beeps were, to give off signals. In the afternoon while we were planning the ''break-in'', I had a brilliant idea. Why not just trade you for the Frozen Core? Would that not make everything simpler? And so I contacted Mr Poche here while you weren''t looking and we made a deal. The moment you left my shop, I had on my jet-pack and followed you. You gave me quite a scare when you started moving in the opposite direction of the coordinates I gave you, but I made a lucky guess where you were going to next. I zoomed ahead of you to your hotel, and flew in after destroying your window. I placed a mine in the room that would set to blow off once I triggered it. One of my own designs, it makes use of steam magic to cause an extreme surge of energy that would take out a group of trolls easily. I knew you could detect magic, so I designed this mine carefully. I replaced your window and left just in time to see you enter the hotel. I quickly informed Mr Poche and he was there at the hotel in a jiffy. I was given instructions to only set off the mine when you open some trunk.'' I listened to his story with awe. This was really a brilliant plan, I had to admit, and one thought out by the game''s AI. Even I could not have thought up a better plan than this. And I take Criminal Psychology in school too. Red-Hair, or Mr Poche it seemed, clapped his hands in wonder. ''Oh, what an exciting tale! Bravo!'' Twiddlyfix then turned round to face Mr Poche excitedly. ''So... I believe payment is due?'' He squeaked. ''Oh, of course! Dear me, how could I forget? Guards, take him away right this instant!'' And without warning, the goblin was seized and brought away. Seemed like goblin was outsmarted this time round. Mr Poche turned his attention back to me, that cold smile never escaping his lips. ''Now, we have no idea why you wanted to steal the Core because that wretched goblin refuses to tell us. The contents of your trunk have also told us nothing, with just the papers we signed the day before and a useless scope. But we do know you had the intention of breaking into here and because of that, we have reason to detain you. We will, of course, send a message to the Council in your stupid Forest that negotiations have been concluded and that you are no longer with us.'' He turned around and walked away. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ''Prepare to stay here for a long time, Magi Crow. Farewell.'' My mind was working furiously. What he just told me had actually given me hope rather than despair. That useless scope he was talking about was actually the Communicater, and since they had no idea what it was, they also did not know that I actually establish regular contact back to the Council. I had not reported back at all today, and that surely would have alerted Aeryssya. What she may choose to do with this information, I had no idea, with the the game''s AI being so complicated nowadays. I had also learnt that even now, they have no idea what was my true purpose of coming here. Which means an all out war can still be avoided as long as I can find that stupid goblin and escape this place with him. But, is escape even possible? Aeryssya, I really do need your help right now... Unfortunately, Unicorn Inc. had recently disabled the Whispering function in the game and had converted all forms of long distance communication into Mail instead. If not, I would have Whispered to the gang for help. The only thing I can count on right now is the game management to make my waiting time for rescue as short as possible. Or they''ll find a very descriptive complaint letter from me once I log out for springing this Scenario on me. Sure enough, within 15 minutes of waiting, I heard the door open and Aeryssya entered. She was completely dressed in her battle gear. With a crown made entirely of plumage, she had on light armour that covered all her vital organs and yet in no way restricted her movements. Strapped to her back was her quiver that held a very large quantity of silver arrows. She had on a bow on her right hand and on her left, a bloody dagger. I winced at the thought of her murdering somebody already. She smiled gladly when she saw me. ''Crow! I have finally found you! I was in and out of all these bloody rooms, trying to locate you!'' Hurry! I got the keys here, We have to escape immediately!'' She proceed to unlock the cell door and once the door was unlocked, we rushed out of the room. ''Wait!'' I paused, looking around. ''You''ve been to all the rooms right? Did you see one with a goblin in it?'' She raised her eyebrows in a threatening manner. Obviously, she was in no mood to delay. ''Yes! It''s this room, but why do you need the goblin for?'' She asked impatiently. ''He''s our key to the secret I was sent here for. I''m sorry, I know we do not have much time, but we have to bring him along with us!'' I went into the room she pointed and I saw Twiddlyfix huddled in a corner, bawling to himself. He turned around in delight when he heard the door open, but he yelped in fright when he saw who it was. ''Listen, I do not have time to waste here. I''m busting you out. You''re coming along with me. You try anything funny, and that lady over there will make you eat your own arm.'' And as if to illustrate my point, Aeryssya brandished her dagger prominently. Twiddlyfix gulped and nodded quietly. We rescued him quickly and stormed out of the room. ''I managed to sneak in and disabled their security system. Right now, they only have about 10 minutes before they can mobilise their mechanical sentries. We have to leave this city by then! Hurry! The white walls flashed past as we ran along each hallway. The whole building was alive with activity. There was shouting everywhere. Most of the guards met had the misfortune to encounter us, which we took down without hesitation. Everything was going smoothly, but it was evident that we were going to escape, and since there was only one way out of here, I was not surprised to find the bulk of the guards waiting outside with their guns pointed at us when we burst through the front doors. Mr Poche stood with his arms folded, chuckling as he saw us. ''My my, if it isn''t Lieutenant-Ranger Aeryssya, such a surprise to see you here. You should have informed me that you were coming. It would have been most embarrassing of us to not welcome you at all to our home.'' ''Enough with your nonsense, Poche. You detained the diplomat that we sent here. Do not expect us to send you flowers.'' She nocked an arrow into her bow and aimed it at Poche. In response, all the guards pointed their rifles at her. Poche made a disapproving noise with his tongue again. We were caught in a stand-off. And we had less than 7 minutes before the security system rebooted itself. Being the city''s defenders, those mechanical sentries would definitely pack a mean punch, and there was no way a ranger and a mage could go against the entire army. I waited for Aeryssya''s cue. ''Powershot!'' She let loose the arrow with such a force that the wind screamed with friction against the arrow''s flight. But before the arrow could even reach any of the guards, an invisible barrier knocked off the arrow. Poche had summoned a wall of light to block off the attack! Wasting no time, I cast Lights of Heaven on Twiddlyfix to prevent him from escaping during the fight. Then I returned my attention to the fight. Aeryssya had taken cover behind a pillar and was shooting arrows at breakneck speeds towards the enemies. Alter Time was activated, and I turned on Barrier. In the nick of time too, for a swarm of bullets ricocheted off the air in front of me. Quickly I took cover behind the pillar and assessed the situation. Poche was a priest, no doubt. With his defensive abilities, he kept the guards protected by the light barrier while they continued to push us back. To win this fight, we would have to destroy the light barrier... Or so I thought, until a gigantic winged shadow swooped down from the sky behind Poche and attacked him. With his concentration lost, Aeryssya''s arrows broke the barrier. The guards were thrown into disarray with some trying to engage us while some trying to help Poshe. I wasted no time in using the Tempest Storm and Meteor combo. Screams of pain wrecked the night sky as the guards were either burnt alive or shot through the necks by arrows that were as lethal as bullets. In the end, only Poche was left but he was not giving up without a fight. He was striking the winged creature with streaks of light. The creature roared with pain, and almost at the same time, Aeryssya screamed in fury. She leapt down from behind the pillar and ran forwards to attack Poshe. He had on a barrier that seemed to be deflecting her attacks as well. His barrier now covered only himself, and it was more powerful now that he was only concentrating on protecting himself. But, I knew that his barrier could not last indefinitely if he is unable to maintain it. I channeled all my mana into my palms as I prepared my next spell. ''Cast Flashbomb!'' Holding a crystalline bomb made entirely of light and fire energy, I hurled it towards the air and controlled it with Telekinesis. ''Aeryssya, look down!'' She responded immediately by ducking her head down. I directed the bomb straight at Poche''s face. He was not prepared for that and it exploded right in front of him. No barrier could have protected him from that; he was stunned and blinded at the same time. I was going to attack him when I heard the city lights flashing red. The security system was rebooting itself. I turned to Aeryssya but she was already running towards the winged creature. I wasted no time in running towards our goblin friend, who had been shivering at the spot that he was rooted to, and carried him by the scruff of his neck towards where Aeryssya had mounted the creature. Against the moonlight, I finally saw what it was. The creature was her owl companion, but I had no idea it was so huge. She pulled me up towards the back of the owl while she threw Twiddlyfix towards the owl''s talons. With a huge flap, we were off the ground and into the air just as gigantic rocket missiles flew towards the spot we were at seconds ago. The sentries were firing at us but thankfully, we were safely out of their range. Poche was waving his staff, but even he could not bring us down with his spells. We reached the Forest after about an hour''s flight. and I told Aeryssya to rest up and keep an eye on the goblin. I logged out and went to sleep. The next day, I found the goblin alone next to the gigantic owl. Aeryssya was nowhere to be found. She had managed to find some shackle which she used to bind Twiddlyfix to her companion so that he could not really walk off even if he wished to. She had also, as I noticed, kept anything that could be made into a gadget out of his reach. When he saw me, he squealed in delight and begged me to release him, for the owl had did nothing but peck him whenever it felt bored. ''No. You owe me something, goblin. Before I burn out your tongue, you better spill the beans.'' As if to illustrate my point, I summoned flames and brought it near to the goblin. ''A-A-Alright! I''ll show it to ya! Just keep those beastly flames off me.'' Satisfied, I removed the flames. He walked over to the bench that Aeryssya had and sat down. He looked at me. ''Bring me a... Glass or something that can hold magic. Some metal or gem is fine.'' ''What do you need those for?'' I asked, producing some red glass I kept in my bag for Enchanting. The goblin grinned from ear to ear. ''To teach you how to compress magic, of course.'' Next Chapter? STORY UP TO THIS POINT First of all, I want to thank all of you readers for your continuing support. Without you guys keeping me going, I would have long abandoned this story. I have been reading all of your comments, and it''s all the ''thanks for the chapter!'' that I look to see for encouragement to continue writing this story. Not saying that it''s a chore; I love writing, but to see you guys giving your support means much to me. That being said, I feel like I should address some of misconceptions that you guys have, mostly all up to this point, now that I am past the 20-Chapter point. 1) Invoke is an ability that can only combine BASIC spells together. If you go back to Chapter 05, you''ll see that the ability description did say Crow can only combine up to two BASIC elements together to form a spell. This means at this point, he cannot Invoke invoked spells together. Or at least, not yet. 2) Aeryssya is an NPC. She is not a player. In Chapter 06, it was mentioned that she fought back the Undead forces 7 YEARS ago. There''s no way she can be player, though regrettably, maybe I should have made her a player actually xD 3) Though my story is based on the actual RoyalRoad, I confess that I have not completed reading the story. In fact, I stopped after the MC got to the vampire kingdom in LMS. As such, I know some among you will be extremely annoyed when you realise that some parts of my story do not tally with LMS. In fact, some are completely off. But, what''s done is done. I cannot un-write this story that so many others like. The most I could do was to introduce new shifts to the game of RoyalRoad in my story to make it more of a story of my own, like in Chapter 18. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. 4) You will also realise that I do not like to include a lot of numbers inside my story. I am well aware in LMS that the writer has a lot of stats, a lot of numbers, and a lot of counters going on. I write my story in a way that is mostly just words. Although I know in a real game, the numbers matter. Numbers like XP, HP, Mana to name a few, but I apologise for the lack of all that because to me, I just want to write a good story that I can be proud of, and not be bothered by numerical figures like that. I am more concerned with bringing new ideas and storyline into this Invoker fan fic. 5) I welcome all ideas for Invoking! Give me a basic spell, give me two, then I''ll mash them up in the story, if I like your idea and it is not too over-powered. Though I must admit, Tempest Storm is a little over-powered. :D Actually, most of my spells are derived from Dota, for those of you who actually play it, you''ll see the familiarity of some of the spells I use. It has been a great ride so far, and I believe it will become even better as I try and find more ideas to write into this story of mine. It is my first ever fan-fiction so far, so I really do apologise if there are details in the story not to your liking. With that, please do keep commenting! Also, if it''s not too much to ask, please do rate my story. Let''s try and make this story into the top 50 rated! The link is here http://www.royalroadl.com/fiction/410 And to those 401 people currently following my story, I love you guys! Oh, and don''t leave after reading this! Chapter''s 21 up as well! Spell 21 : The Enchantrix Spell 21 : The Enchantrix ''Compression magic? Wait, that''s not what I want to know about. I need to learn about st-'' ''Yes, yes I know, boss, but steam engineering makes use of compression magic, and by learning compression magic, ya learning a whole bunch of new things!'' Twiddlyfix took hold of the red glass I was holding and examined it. He held it up against the little bit of sunlight that permeated the ever-hanging canopy of leaves which covered the entire Forest. ''Look. Alchemy, tailoring, magic-smithing, enchanting and the likes of many crafting styles make use of compression magic. It was never really discussed about because nobody really understood why magical properties can be enhanced onto non-magical objects. Most engineers just accepted it as it is, and never questioned it. Only enchanters came ever so close to the topic for discussion. They being the closest to making use of magic to enhance non-magical objects.'' ''Steam Society discovered, quite a long while ago, that magic can be expressed in arithmetic quantities. You can divide up magic into units, and separate them. Say, for example, with a certain amount of mana, you can create a single ball of flame. Use that same amount of mana, and you can create two smaller balls of flames. In fact, there is no limit to how much you can divide mana and magic. It just keeps getting smaller and smaller, until you have an infinite amount of insignificant magic. That much is self-explanatory.'' ''Compression magic makes use of this. We engineers in Steam Society compress magic daily into extremely small amounts and store them in common mediums like this glass here. Because magic has been compressed, it is no longer dangerous. Compare a single ball of flame to many specks of little heat, for example. These little bits of magic lay dormant within the mediums we store them in, and they only turn volatile if we give them a little spark. That is why I told you that day when you left my shop that you would only find traces of magic when it is called upon within steam society. Everything, and anything we use in Steam Society makes use of compression magic.'' His eyes flickered from the red glass to mine; I could see a ghost of twinkle in them. ''It does not have to be steam energy; we only make use of steam in Steam Society because it is clean and expendable. I have never studied the field of magic that intensively myself, so I do not know how far one can explore into this. You are... Quite unlike many mages I have met. Perhaps, you will find something that no other magician can find.'' I never interrupted him, and just kept on listening. I got up from the bench and headed towards the door. ''Hey, sir, I told you everything I know! Least you can do is let me go!'' I ignored him and left without looking back. It was not purely intentional as my mind was preoccupied with everything that he had just said to me and I just got too focused, though I distinctly remembered him screaming for help somewhere in the back of my mind as I left. Oh well, at least Aeryssya''s owl would have a toy to play with longer. I needed a place to quietly think and experiment with the knowledge that I had just acquired. Of course! Where else could I go? And so, I took the familiar path towards Lydrassil, where the Grand Enchantium resided. Since I was here, I thought it would be high time to visit the place where it had all begun. Lydrassil was not that far away from Aeryssya''s home, so it was just a short walk. The outside of the garden was just as surreal as I had remembered it. I approached the steps and just as I was about to climb, I stopped myself. Why bother climbing? ''Blink!'' In one moment I vanished from the spot I was standing on and materialised at the top of the steps. It felt like I was in two places at once. Admittedly, that was the first time I had came to use that ability and vertigo had me for a second. I recovered and went into the Enchantium, hoping that nobody had seen that embarrassing episode. Nothing inside had changed, though there was something definitely off. The sadistic Leyla wasn''t there at the receptionist table. She had been replaced by another Night Elf that I did not know, who looked at me with disdain until he saw the Mark I wore. His eyes widened in excitement; he almost could not keep his voice down, despite his position. ''Magi Crow! It''s been awhile! I have always wanted to me-'' ''Sorry, I''m kind of busy here today. Is Leyla in?'' I cut across his babble. He covered his mouth with both hands and shook his head in embarrassment. I said nothing, and inclined my head. ''She has gone away with Archmage Ghanda and will not be back for at least a while. So they left me here to take care of the library in their stead.'' ''I see.'' I said, while looking around. Then my eyes fell onto a familiar looking object on the reception table. I walked over to it and picked it up. It was a portstone! ''Ah. That was left behind by Miss Leyla. She said you could use it to access the Master''s chamber, if you wish.'' I activated the stone. The familiar sensation of going through a vortex of uncountable flying colours overwhelmed me as I flew through space and time... Right into the master''s chamber. I gazed fondly at the furniture and all the little doodads that he kept lying around the place. They were always there observing me when I had training last time. But there was something missing. His wife''s statue. It was gone! I suppose Ghanda must be carrying it around with him somehow... Anyway, let''s focus on the compression magic! I sat down on the floor and took out all the glass and metals I had stored in my bag for Enchanting and Jewel-crafting. Though they did cost me quite a bit when I bought them, what I am about to discover can more than make up for it. Based on what Twiddlyfix had said, when magic is compressed and stored in a medium, it becomes docile and harmless as well as being completely untraceable. Only a required ''spark'' of some sort is required to trigger the dormant magic within. He did mention too, that it did not have to be only steam that can be compressed. Other forms of magic could be compressed too, though he did not have the magical means to try. But I do. And I had an idea that could potentially make me one of the most dangerous mages alive in the game. Simply put, I am an Invoker, with the widest arsenal of spells available at my disposal. With Mana Manifest, I can charge these spells to their highest possible potential, but this always take up too much time. And time is always too precious in a battle to waste. But what if I had already prepared these spells in advance? What if I had a stock full of spells all charged with Mana Manifest to their fullest possible output, ready to be unleashed onto the enemy? So to begin, I tried using the principles that Twiddlyfix mentioned, which was to combine Enchanting with Fire Strike first. I failed miserably; the result was just simply me setting the entire glass on fire. Then I realised that I had completely forgotten the first step, which was to reduce the spell to its most composite form. It was tough initially, because what I had learnt from Mana Manifest was to make my spells as powerful and as huge as possible, but this is an altogether different ball game. Though I still have to channel mana into my spells, I have to further use Enchanting to mold the spell itself into smaller and more manageable shapes. It was the most challenging 4 hours that I had ever spent, and I had already lost 150 gold pieces just by going out and buying more glass, but in the end, I had succeeded. *DING*
[p=center]You have acquired a new secret branch of Enchanting : Enchantrix! With Enchantrix, you can now store your spells into magic-containing mediums for later use. To trigger the dormant spell within, you have to ignite the medium with your own mana. Or you could place a Seal on the medium and break it to release the spell within. Seals can be learnt from any spell-weavers or scribes in cities or towns. Note : Mediums can generally store any kind of spells, but if your medium is weak, there is a chance that your dormant spell may just trigger on its own, so use weak mediums at your own risk. [/p]
This was epic! No... This was beyond phenomenal! I had just single-handedly, albeit with a little help from Twiddlyfix, created my own secret technique! Holding the glass that I had succeeded compressing Fire Strike in, I probed it with my senses but I could not detect the slightest hint of magic. I was eager to try it out so I looked around. But there was nothing I could try it on, not even the stupid and irritating dummy that I had used for my training here in the past. Then I suddenly had an idea. Cinders! The little kitten walked out of thin air in front of me. She sat down and wiped her face with her paws. I knew this was beyond sadistic but at least she had Elemental Morph, so it should not hurt her at all. I hope. I took about 10 steps back and faced Cinders. I took a deep breath and incidentally, I could not refrain myself from rolling the glass sphere that contained the Fire Strike in my fingers. Cinders just sat there and looked at me with dreamy eyes. That expression soon changed though, when I channeled mana into the sphere. The sphere dematerialised, and three fireballs formed! I launched the spell at her, and she immediately turned into a watery form, cloaking herself an entire shade of aquamarine blue. She absorbed the entire spell into her abdomen. Though I was sure it did not do any harm to her, she was angry all the same and hissed at me before vanishing into the Void. Well, I would make it up to Cinders later. But for now... I HAD DONE IT! COMPRESSION MAGIC WAS MINE TO CONTROL AND WIELD! But, I knew I was still lacking something. I had learnt the secret to concocting magical bullets, but I still needed a gun if I needed to shoot these bullets. Or at least an ammunition magazine of some sort to store these bullets. This, I needed Twiddlyfix''s help again. I felt bad for the goblin as I left Master''s chamber. I mean, he did screw me over back in Steam Society, but it didn''t really warrant me a reason to keep him prisoner here as well. I did wanted to release him, but the Council insisted on meeting him. So there was nothing I could do. I went back to Aeryssya''s to find him sitting in the same corner with a helpless look on his face. There was a platter of food which he had left untouched next to him. He didn''t even look up when I came in. I could see a faint outline of a bruise on his head, which I believed to be the place where the owl had kept playing with him. Though I was feeling extremely sympathetic for him, I still needed to extract another favour out of him. ''Twiddlyfix! I promise I will make it my dying wish to grant you your freedom back if you can perform this one last thing for me! Once the deed is done, I will ask the Council to let you go as soon as possible. This, I will not bite back on what I offer you now.'' The goblin looked up, and though he still looked a little defeated, he was listening. ''Look, I''ve mastered what you call compression magic. And I need something else. I need an equipment of some sort that can store these mediums which I can easily remove from also in the head of a battle as well. If you can make an attachment of som-'' Before I had finished speaking, he had already interrupted me. ''Will a bracer do?'' I thought about it and felt it was a good idea. At least it was on my arm so I could remove the mediums easily. ''A bracer is fine. Just tell me the materials you need, and I''ll go out and get them for you right now.'' He gave me a list of metals and tools that he needed, and I went off once again to the marketplace. I was back within half an hour with the items he needed and he started hammering away. I sat there and just watch him work. Hammering and tinkering away, he looked like a little kid all over again when he was making something. I suppose that was something all goblins shared; they really loved their engineering. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. The product was finished within an hour. It was brilliant! *DING*
[p=center]You have acquired a new Item : Twiddlyfix''s Armlet! Level Requirement : 100 Stats Requirement : None This item is a Bracer type. Wear it as a Bracer. This item has 10 available sockets, but only 6 are currently socketable. | O | | O | | O | | O | | O | | O | | X | | X | | X | | X | [/p]
Twiddlyfix looked at it fondly. ''I call it the Twiddlyfix''s Armlet. I only managed to make 10 sockets, of which only 6 are open because I need more specialised tools if I need to make the mechanism work. You Elves really have shoddy parts. Look, the hammer''s already broken.'' Sure enough, the hammer he was using had already broken off at the top, so there was no way he could have continued working. ''So what you do is that you just have to insert a gem in here-'' he took the red glass he took from me and inserted it inside one of the sockets. There was a sound of a click. ''And you''re done. It''s attached. If you wanna remove it, just take it out.'' I tried on the Bracer and to my delight, it was extremely light! It was as if I wasn''t wearing it at all. I looked at Twiddlyfix with exhilaration, but he had succumbed back to his gloomy self, all excitement lost now that he had finished his product. With this, all I had to do next time is to stock up my fully-charged spells with Mana Manifestation into glass or metal mediums, and then socket them into the bracer. Using Telekinesis, I can throw out these mediums at any time whenever I have to fight. Sadly, I can only stock up to 6 spells now, but it will have to make do. Just then, the door behind me swung open. I looked behind and saw two High Elf soldiers. ''Magi Crow, I have been instructed by Lieutenant-Ranger Aeryssya to bring you and that goblin there to the Council meet. There was one urgently scheduled today upon your arrival back to the Forest. Please follow us.'' I looked over to the goblin but he just sat there as desolate as ever. I nodded over to the two soldiers and they came and picked him up by his armpits. Together, we marched on to where the meet would be, which was the Council room where we had the previous meet. All members were present, save for Ghanda, of whom I was representing. This time, however, it was the High Elf with the emerald eyes who was chairing the meet. He seemed to be a powerful person, because no eye looked away from him for a second as he stood up. And when he spoke, it was in a confident voice that held command. As though with an iron fist. ''For the benefit of Magi Crow here, I introduce myself here as Lord Ravenfury of Darkblade Hold. We are here today to discuss two matters. The first, will be with regard to the secret held by Steam Society with regard to their steam engineering. It was last agreed upon to send Magi Crow as a diplomat over there to negotiate trade routes, though in truth, he was there to learn their secret. However, due to certain misfortunes, he was detained by Steam Society and held prisoner until our Lady-Ranger rescued him. But it was not all in naught, for they had brought back with them an expert on steam engineering himself. We shall hear what he has to say. Bring him in.'' Twiddlyfix was brought in and he sat down in a chair brought forward by one of the guards. Though all eyes in the room were on him, he was undaunted and looked up. Lord Ravenfury cleared his throat and all eyes were on him again. ''Here is with us today Mr Twiddlyfix, a goblin engineer. He alone in this room holds the secret to steam engineering. With his ad-'' He stopped talking and looked back at the goblin, who had stood up on his chair and made a noise with his throat. There was a fury in Ravenfury''s eyes at being interrupted but he masked it quickly, though he was not quick enough for me. Several of the Council members looked angry while some looked amused. ''Sorry, Lord Fury, but I have no intention of sharing the secret of steam engineering with you or your people. But I do have something else in mind though. Would you care to hear it?'' ''You dare to bargain with the Council? Remember your place, goblin!'' Marshal Vult barked angrily. The goblin''s reaction was merely a cheeky grin; it looked like he was back to his old self. I kept quiet though, and watched everything unfold. ''You should be reminded that at this moment now, Steam Society is looking into the matter of what Magi Crow was exactly doing in Steam Society. They only know that he was stealing something for me, and now that I am missing from their prison, their only conclusion now is that I am with you guys. As a result of that, whatever security they previously had would be twice as tight, if not three times as such. You will find no way of infiltrating their city again, much less to steal its secret. I, too, have no way of returning back to my home there. So instead, I beseech you to let me stay here as one of your chief engineers. I shall use the secret of steam engineering in my works to improve your facilities. I noticed that you have Arcane sentinels. That will be my first project. Kill me now, and you will find the secret of steam engineering lost forever. Let me live, and you will find many other benefits instead.'' And with that, he sat down and folded his arms, a look of triumph in his face. That goblin! I had not realised that he had been planning all this. I had to hand it to him though; this was an offer the Council could not refuse. There was something puzzling me though. Why did he agree to teach me compression magic when he refuses to share it with the Council? Something is amiss. Lord Ravenfury stood up again. ''There is merit in his words, though it is highly irregular to grant him a place here in our sacred Forest. What does the Council say?'' Arcanist Ghud, the one who taught me those useful Arcane spells before I left for Steam Society, stood up. ''Before I begin, guards, can you please escort Mr Twiddlyfix here out of the room first? Mr Twiddlyfix, we shall decide on a course of action and we will give you an answer when we are finished. If you please.'' The two soldiers who brought him in carried him out again, the look of defeat on his face was clear for all to see. It seemed like he wanted to be a part of the meet. ''Now, I believe we cannot ignore the fact that Steam Society is on very delicate terms with us right now. They cannot outwardly accuse us of sending a spy to their midst because they too have detained him on very unjust grounds. Conflict has risen, but it has not scaled to an all out war yet. I cannot stress further that we have already lost contact with Ghanda, and we will soon be losing Lieutenant-Ranger Aeryssya as well as Magi Crow when they leave for their quest to the Sands of Time. We are in no position to fight with Steam Society if they send their mechanical warriors over here. If we need to defend ourselves, we need this goblin''s aid.'' He finished speaking and sat down. This time, a young Night Elf lady stood up. ''But, are we to sink so low to ask help from a goblin? If word gets out, our reputation will be tarnished!'' ''Do you care more about reputation or your life?'' Said a High Elf with a long ponytail. ''Surely there''s nothing they can throw at us that we cannot manage! Look, Lieutenant-Ranger Aeryssya and Magi Crow escaped with just the two of them against their city''s defences!'' Barked Marshal Vult again. Seriously, that guy sounded nothing more than just an angry grizzly bear. I was surprised Aeryssya was just keeping quiet. In fact, she had already closed her eyes, but I knew she was fully awake and listening in. Lord Ravenfury stood up again, clearly wanting an end to all this argument. ''Magi Crow, you were the one who brought him here. Can you vouch for him?'' All eyes looked on me. Aeryssya opened hers and stared at me as well. I pushed my chair back and slowly stood up. Damn, why do they need to have such piercing eyes?! I need to find the game''s designer and kill him! ''The goblin has betrayed me once back in Steam Society. It was the reason why I was caught in the first place. But it is true. We have no choice, just as Arcanist Ghud has mentioned. When I went over there, they are clearly using a branch of magic completely unheard of. It is completely untraceable. You know what that means; our Arcane sentinels have no way of defending against their mechanical warriors if they use a mass teleportation device. If we are to stand a chance against them, we need this goblin''s advice. Goblins are motivated by greed; if we can pay him enough, he will not turn on us. We can grant him freedom here to experiment, but he must be carefully watched. Warn him also, that if he makes the mistake of contacting Steam Society even once, it would be off with his head. Goblins too are cowardly creatures.'' When I finished speaking, there was silence. Then, there was applause. Everyone seemed to agree with me, even Lord Ravenfury. He stood up again. ''I believe you have just convinced everyone on the next course of action, which brings me to the second agenda for today''s meet actually. Though you have not really completed the mission you were sent on, your actions and bravery has brought us triumphs this time round as well. There can be no further questioning of your loyalty. Today, we are proud to induct you officially into the Council. You shall receive full benefits of being in the Council as we all do enjoy, but similarly, you bear upon you too the responsibilities of being a ruler of the entire Forest. All the citizens of this forest will look up to you. Everything you do will be watched and judged by them. Welcome to the Council!'' I could not hide my glee as I watched everyone stand up while applauding. This was a surprise. I had no idea they would still induct me, despite all the trouble that I had caused. Arcanist Ghud walked over to me and asked for my Mark of the Council. He took it and muttered a few words. There was a faint pink glow that emitted from the ring. There was also an amethyst studded to the ring with the design of a tree carved into it. He gave it back to me and gave his congratulations. I thanked him and equipped the ring again. *DING*
[p=center]You have equipped a new Legendary Item : Mark of the Council! This ring is proof that you are now one of the Council. The ability restrictor previously placed has been removed. Stats : + 45 to all discovered stats, + 20% Spell Power, + 20% Attack Power, + 7500 Fame Ring Ability : Teleport --> Forest of No Return Cooldown : 2 Hours[/p]
I had no idea the ring''s abilities were restricted so much! Previously, I was just wearing it for fun, but this would increase my abilities by leaps and bounds! With this, as well as compression magic, I was ready to face my next hurdle : the Sands of Time. -------------------------------------------------------- Don''t forget to vote if you liked this chapter! Vote Link ---> Invoker Next Chapter? Spell 22 : The Past Spell 22 : The Past The Sands of Time is a complicated place. It is a realm sealed off by space and time, protected by ancient guardians as old as history itself. Beings who know of it call it the ''archive of past events'' because it is a land that records history and keeps it safely away for studying. Those who have been there have described it as a desert with many underground caverns. A historical event is each stored in a cavern. Those foolish enough to walk into these caverns without the guide of one of the protectors will find themselves forever trapped in that memory, subject to replaying by historians who wish to study that particular event. But there is one particular memory that has been too greatly disturbed. That memory was altered, and as a result, has spiralled out of control. It never stops replaying itself, thus inflicting a great amount of stress on its cavern. If that memory is not stopped soon, that cavern will collapse and that memory will spread out over the entire Sands of Time, thus consuming it. Without a proper store for history, the entire timeline of the world will be corrupted, which will eventually destroy the future as we know it. That memory is known as the Battle of the Three Kingdoms, and it needs to be corrected. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I was supposed to meet Aeryssya at a small village called Tinding located at the outskirts of Serabourg. But she was running late, so I went to buy some glass which I will probably need now more than ever because of my recent discovery of Enchantrix. I went back to the said meeting place only to find no one there. I took a seat at one of the small tables under the apple trees which were abundantly grown in this place. This village was small by comparisons, and pretty much unheard of. Aeryssya only told me to meet here because it is near one of the many entrances of the Sands of Time. I checked the game time in my user interface repeatedly until I just gave up and put my head down to rest. I fell asleep without realising it, and was rather grudgingly woken up only moments later. I thought it was Aeryssya, but boy, was I woefully wrong. There was no mistaking that auburn hair anywhere. Vanyssa wasn''t alone however; there were two other familiar figures next to her. They were Kiry and Connor, the monk and paladin who helped me the last time in the Forest against the troll warlocks. I rubbed my eyes, thinking that this was still a dream that I have not woken up from but there was no mistaking it; this was real and three of the people I most expect not to meet were actually here in this mundane town. They all laughed at my dumbstruck expression and moved to sit down. ''What, you think you were the only one who accepted this quest?'' Said Connor who was just removing his helmet, revealing the tanned skin he had. I never did ask him, but I think Connor was from some part of Africa. ''How can you go on this by yourself so selfishly? Did you forget that fun time we had back then?'' Kiry said. ''Well, unluckily for you, Aeryssya contacted us, asking us to come help her on this quest. Connor and I thought, why not? So here we are. To help sister Aery and to bother you too, dickhead. Can''t believe you didn''t ask us along.'' With that, Kiry just sat there and pouted. I didn''t know how to react, and so I just chuckled. Well, I was glad for their company, but I had something more pressing on my mind. Why is Vanyssa here?! I stole a look at her. She was just wiping her claymore sword, which I noticed, was studded with a second gem. She had not said anything since sitting down. Her face still held that same determined expression whenever she was concentrating on something. I loved that look about her. But, with a slight pang, I remembered that day at the concert when she was Dennis and I looked away. Kiry and Connor had begun talking among themselves, and so there was no way I could intrude into their conversation. And so, I just sat there and stared into the distance while fully regretting not taking this chance to try and start a conversation with her. Just then, Aeryssya arrived on her gigantic owl. She dismounted gracefully. Before I could open my mouth, she cut me off. ''Sorry, I am late. I was trying very hard to find our guide for this mission; she was being particularly elusive this time round. I finally found her drinking in a bar up north. Anyway, she''ll meet us at the mountain pass, where there is an entrance to the Sands of Time. We best be going.'' And with that, she stormed off, muttering something about drunkards and useless protectors. We gathered up all things and followed her hurriedly. Clearly, none of us wanted to piss off an angry Night Elf ranger any further. We left the village and headed into the woods that would eventually lead to the mountains. On the way there, Aeryssya led the group while Kiry and Connor were walking together. I was left with a silent Vanyssa. For the most of it, I was just looking straight ahead and not saying a word, though in my mind I was panicking. I did not want things to be awkward between us even before we started this mission. ''Well, aren''t you gonna ask me why I''m here?'' I turned my head around so fast that my neck snapped. I rubbed the back of my neck with my hand as tears came up in my eye. Vanyssa could not contain her amusement and started to giggle. I forgot the pain upon seeing her laugh. ''Sorry about that. Well... Why are you here?'' I asked, still wincing. ''Well, we were getting worried about you. You didn''t reply any of our mail in-game, and even when we left you a bunch of messages on your phone, you did not get back to us. The guys were convinced you were probably lost in your head training somewhere, but Dennis and I, we were worried. Cluck told me to try looking for you in the Forest. Well, I had not realised that it was so easy to find your name there. Anyway, I found Lady-Ranger Aeryssya after being introduced to a few people there. She was the one who sent me here, after checking up on my identity of course. By the way, congratulations on becoming a Council member. That must have been quite a feat.'' I felt my face flush when she said those words. Honestly, I wasn''t a person chasing after for compliments, but she was a special person to me. But I grew solemn again, when I heard Dennis'' name. I had no idea if she knew telepathy, because she immediately went on to talk about him. ''Dennis and I are just good friends. We met while we were heads of our various school activities. He''s head of Student Council while I''m head of Dance. So we hit it off pretty well at the start. He''s more like a... Sis-kin to me.'' I had a feeling she was going to say sister, but I let her continue. ''Anyway, Cluck did had the peculiar idea that Dennis and I were together. But I cleared up the air with them, and so I thought you should know too. Besides. I can never be attracted to him in a way I can be attracted to...'' She broke off, clearly embarrassed at having revealing too much. I listened with a start; I never did saw that coming. She was just about to reveal the person she did like! I was about to question her when I heard Aeryssya giving a shout. We both looked to the front and saw Aeryssya running up the stone paths. I had not realised we had already reached the mountain pass. Connor and Kiry had already swiftly followed her up, leaving me and Vanyssa still at the base of the foot pass. I knew Aeryssya was still in a foul mood so I used Blink to quickly follow. Vanyssa was gracefully leaping up the paths also. Pretty soon, we reached a small hole which led into an empty den that had nothing but small rocks all over the place. I thought something would happen, but I was wrong. At least, not till a golden gnome appeared several moments later. I knew this was one of the protectors of the Sands of Time, because she was dripping sand all over the place. Not to mention she was completely golden. She was obviously drunk though, just like that old man I met back in Gloucest Castle. Now I knew why Aeryssya was pissed. And she''s looking even more livid by the second. I decided to take things into my own hands lest Aeryssya went completely berserk. ''Protector, we are here, as promised, to fulfil the quest given to us to save the Sands of Time. As such, we would appreciate it if you can bring us to the Sands of Time right now.'' At the mention of the place, the rocks in the den started vibrating and flew towards the center of the den, smashing together in the shape of a huge golem. It started slamming its rocklike fists together menacingly at us. We were armed in an instant, but the gnome just grinned and waved away at the golem. It collapsed with a slight groan and the rocks flew back to their original locations. The gnome said nothing and walked over to the end of the den walls. She threw some sand on it and the wall immediately gave way, revealing a swirling vortex of radiant colours. She spun around and beckoned to us. ''Here... Here...'' Was all she said while pointing to the vortex. All the logic in me screamed against following a drunk gnome''s directions, but I knew this had to be it. We all looked at each other and nodded. One by one, we stepped into the vortex... And found ourselves by a giant river. As far as my eyes could take me, we were in a vast grassy plains. We weren''t alone however; over in a distance, I could make out several camps. It looked like we had entered straight into the memory itself. But before we could make a move, Aeryssya made us conceal ourselves by laying down as flat as possible in a circle. ''I probably should have briefed you before we entered the vortex, but we were running out of time. The entrances to the Sands of Time are delicate; they only open for several hours in a day. I had to make sure that we would be able to enter in time.'' She took out an extremely old map from her bag and laid it out for us to see. ''Right now we should be near this great Hobei River. There are settlements to our east and south. Where we shall go next will depend on your choice. As I have mentioned to Crow before, these lands belong to ancient Orientai, where great feudal warlords fought again and again over these lands. Of these, there were 3 who emerged to be the greatest. Liu Bei of Shu, Cao Cao of Wei and Sun Jian of Wu. There were other minor warlords, but the most notorious one was a man named Dong Zhuo, who was a tyrant and used his power to indulge in his own greed and lust.'' ''These battles were fought a long time ago, and there was no clear winner because the 3 that I spoke of, all died during the war and as a result, the war was brought down to their descendants. The war eventually died down because the fighting simply did not continue. The rulers who were in power were either brought down by coups or those that took over from their previous rulers simply did not want to fight anymore..'' If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ''Whatever it was, apparently there was someone from our world who was not happy with the way things ended so that person came here with the intent to wipe history and rewrite it. What he did has meddled with the timeline too much, and now this memory we are in right now will eventually grow too big for even the Sands of Time to contain. Eventually, ancient powerful beings that were supposed to stay dead will find themselves very much alive in the world that we live in. Imagine the chaos that will ensue if they bring their conquest ideas with them into our world. We too will live in never-ending conflict. We have to end this fight.'' ''So what do we do?'' I asked. ''It should have been a much simpler quest initially. All we have to do is help one faction emerge victorious, thus ending this cycle of carnage. But because we''re rewriting history here, you see, and the protectors themselves cannot determine which faction should emerge victorious. Naturally, the adventurers that they have gathered from our world will be fighting in the faction that they themselves believe should be the victors. Had the protectors themselves unified and determined a single faction to win, this battle would easily be resolved and we can have one clear winner. But, it is most likely that we will see people from our world all over the place, fighting for different causes. And as such, we will be fighting many others. I would say we''re more fortunate because we get to choose our faction. Our protector chooses to remain neutral in this crisis.'' We all nodded in agreement. As we examined the map, we realised that each faction had its own advantages and disadvantages. Wei held the most territorial land size, but that also meant it has to spread its army evenly across the lands. Wu had the most defensive position, but that also meant it would be constantly under siege and will be unable to send out armies to fight. Shu had the most number of talented generals, but its troops are mainly made up of peasants who have low fighting experience. As we discussed which faction to choose, I suddenly remembered something. I caught Aeryssya''s eye and indicated that I wanted to speak to her alone. ''Well, what is it?'' She asked when we were out of earshot. ''Your sister. Have you heard anything about her?'' I asked. She looked away before speaking, and when she spoke, I could hear a strain in her voice. ''She... She is not here. It would appear that my source was wrong. But no matter. I had already accepted the quest and it would be on my honor if I should give up the quest. Success or failure, I will go through this quest to the end.'' And without another word, she walked back to the group. I shook my head in shame and joined the others. Eventually, we decided on joining Shu because its ruler, Liu Bei, was well-known for his virtue and benevolence. If anything, at least he was fighting on a just cause. At least if we''re gonna be killing people, we would be fighting for a better future. Well, sort of. And so we gathered our things and headed for one of the Shu encampments. As we approached the encampment, we were greeted with hostility, much to our dismay. Archers stood in a line with their arrows pointed at us and one of them even shot an arrow at our feet to mean their business. We stood our ground and declared ourselves as adventurers here to fight for Lord Liu Bei''s cause. Though I could feel the tension lessen, they did not lower their bows. After what seemed like an eternity, there was a horn blowing and the situation change immediately. The archers kept their weapons and rushed to the top of the wooden barricades while infantry troopers carrying swords and pikes were rushing out from inside the encampment. They ran past us without even giving us a secondary look. Then the cavalry came up behind and at their lead was a man wearing a brown bamboo hat while wearing very thin robes that were obviously not suited for warfare. He rode past us while shouting. ''If you want to fight for us, show me what you are made of!'' Apparently, one of their scouts had spotted an enemy battalion marching on this location and had sounded the horn. These Shu soldiers were rushing off to face them in battle. We wasted no time and rushed off in the same direction, eager to get some attention. The enemy battalion was from the Wei faction, identified by their blue colours and battle standards containing the single character ''κ¡®. Pretty soon, the battle began. Metal struck metal as swords and spears came into contact. The man in the bamboo hat was yelling out orders to get the men into formations. We combined our efforts with the soldiers and fought fiercely as well. Vanyssa was no longer that fearsome warrior I had seen back in Gloucest Castle; she was now a war goddess on the battlefield. Her sword cleaved through lines and lines of soldiers and every now and then I could see a shadow of a dragon hovering right above her. Soldiers were all intimidated by that Dragon Roar of hers, which now provided boosts to damage to all allies. And then, things got pretty sticky on my side. As a mage, I was definitely not dressed for close combat fighting, and the Wei soldiers pretty much felt I was an easy target. What they did not know was that I had 2 rubies that contained fully-charged Meteors in my arsenal. To be honest, I have never tried using Mana Manifest to power up Meteor before. But I must say, having not 1, but 3 flaming balls of death coming at you from the sky is scary enough to make you piss in your pants. One moment they were rushing at me with delight, and the next moment they were all knocked away like pins in a bowling alley. I heard the sound of hooves coming up behind me and I turned to see the bamboo hat man approaching. He tipped up his hat and whistled. ''Son, I''ll be damned if I don''t recruit you in right here and right now. You''re in.'' He said. ''By the way, here''s a spell that I think you might find useful.'' *DING*
[p=center]You have gained a new Spell : Earth Spikes! Earth Spikes Beginner Level 1 0% Call upon spikes to shoot up from the ground around you to impale enemy targets. This will only affect enemies in a small aoe around you. Mana-cost : 350 Cooldown : 35s [/p]
I cycled through my spells, thinking what would be the best combination to Invoke this spell with. I thought I''ll use Barrier, since I haven''t really been using it for Invoking for a long time. *DING*
[p=center]You have gained a new Spell : Iron Maiden! (Invoked) You encase a target in a block of stone. The stone block will absorb all damage taken by the target while it is being encased in rock. Once the damage threshold has been reached, the stone block will shatter, showering all nearby enemies with iron needles, stunning them and dealing damage. Damage absorbed depends on the level of Barrier while damage done and stun duration will be dependent on the level of Earth Spikes. Mana-cost: 750 Cooldown: 80s [/p]
Iron Maiden huh? That would be a useful spell to turn the tides on enemies. But before I could do anything, Quick Time was activated and my precious 4s started. I could see a volley of arrows coming towards me from my left. Time to try this Iron Maiden out! ''Cast Iron Maiden!'' Immediately, the world turned dark. I felt around me, and touched solid rock. The sound of multiple strikings outside told me that the arrows have found their mark against the rock. However, the damage this rock took had not reached the threshold yet. Simply because my Barrier was too high leveled, and so this rock would have to take a larger amount of beating before it would release. Pretty soon, I began to hear the hammering of swords against the walls. The enemy archers must have called for reinforcements. Moments later, I could hear cracks coming from above me. I looked up and saw light streaming through. That same light ran down like lightning along the wall. Suddenly, the world around me exploded. I covered myself with my arms, but I took no damage. Around me, I could hear people screaming in agony and shock. I looked up to see a mess of bodies, all lying on the floor with iron spikes running through them. Luckily for me, I was facing level 50 normal foot soldiers, and so they were easy to take out. Those who were stronger were still standing and they came rushing at me, yelling out for revenge. I used telekinesis to extract out a round amethyst from my gauntlet and launched it straight at them. They never saw it coming. The moment the gem struck the ground, a Tempest Storm as wide as a swimming pool engulfed them. They fell as well within seconds. It was a bit of an overkill, I would admit, but I was itching to see a fully charged Tempest Storm. The battle was almost over as soon as it had begun. Connor was the target of every enemy assassin; he was responsible of keeping almost everyone alive along with a bunch of medics but he was protected by the equally fearsome Kiry, whose blows sent enemy soldiers flying a few feet. Aeryssya was using some ability to launch the arrows from enemy archers against themselves. With our aid, the battle was over with minimal casualties to the Shu faction. Though it was a victory, the Shu soldiers were vigilant, and kept watch for any other ambushes. When none came, they joyously returned back to their encampment. The bamboo hat man rode towards us, and invited us in to join in the victory toast. The encampment was made up of pitched up tents that were gigantic for their size. Most of them contained sleeping mats that the soldiers rested on. Weapon racks were placed all around the camp, and there was a makeshift kitchen of some sort by a hastily dug up well. Though we pretty much won the battle for these soldiers, most of them still eyed us uneasily. Eventually, we were brought into the biggest tent. Inside the tent was a round table that had roughly the same map that we had. But it was plotted with many bloody crosses and scribbles. The bamboo hat man indicated that we sat down, which we obliged. We looked at him as he removed his bamboo hat, revealing a face aged so old but contrastingly lit up by a young and joyous smile. ''Welcome to the Fenglin Camp. My name is Pang Tong, commander of this camp. What can I do for you?'' -------------------------------------------------------------- Next Chapter? Don''t forget to vote if you liked this chapter! Voting Link ---> Invoker Spell 23 : The Warpath Spell 23 : The Warpath ''Commander Pang, we are adventurers from a distant land on a mission here to save these lands. My name is Crow; these here are Aeryssya, Vanyssa, Kiry and Connor.'' I indicated each of them as I mentioned their names. But it would not have mattered had I not done so otherwise; he had his eyes only on Aeryssya. And it was only to her he spoke to now. ''You... I am sorry to say it this way but... What are you?'' He looked at her from top to toe, eyes widening as he took in every single aspect of her body and how different she was compared to him. Aeryssya was a little taken aback, but she recovered from her shock. That alluring smile that must have made men go crazy over her was on her face again. ''Commander, I am simply just an Elf.'' She lightly caressed her long ears and beat off the dust from her pure lavender skin. Pang Tong''s eyes never left her. His interest in her clearly trespassed the boundaries of just curiosity; I, too, am an Elf yet he never even came close to batting an eyelid at me. He must have realised that everyone''s eyes were on him, for he cleared his throat and sat back in his chair, looking slightly abashed. ''You are adventurers, you say? From which land, I wonder?'' as he spoke, he reached out for his goblet on the stool next to him and drank deeply from it. ''This is fine stuff...'' He said to himself, looking into the goblet and swirling its contents. I looked back at my companions, searching their faces for an answer that I could give to him, but they all had stony faces. Only Vanyssa seemed to be thinking hard. She stepped forward and answered. ''From Accardia, milord. Land of the Eternal Moon.'' She curtsied gracefully, just like a noblewoman would. Pang Tong grinned at her approvingly. I felt a surge of anger rise in me. This perv dares to stare at Vanessa? Oh, if we didn''t needed his help, I would have blasted his head in! ''Accardia? Oh dear, you must have travelled far and wide... Well, I suppose you could all stay. I, and my men here, bear true witness to your fighting prowess, and deem it only detrimental to us if you were scouted by either the dogs of Wei or the bastards of Wu.'' He looked around the tent, then called for a man, who had his long hair kept by a headband. ''Captain Jiang! Lead these heroes to some tents of their own, aye?'' Then he turned his attention to Aeryssya, doing nothing to hide that glee on his face, ''and the young lady wouldn''t mind staying so she can answer a few questions from an old man, no?'' It was obvious that he just wanted Aeryssya''s company, and I could tell Aeryssya was having the same sentiments that I had, but if I knew her well enough, she, too, was restraining herself. Rather greatly too. Sure enough, she gave the same curtsey that Vanyssa had given to Pang Tong, lowering her head so that nobody could see the fury in her face. ''It would be my pleasure, milord.'' The man named Captain Jiang strode forwards and waited patiently behind us. Knowing that we were dismissed, I turned back and walked out of the tent. Vanyssa, and the rest followed. Captain Jiang matched up to my pace and indicated that I followed him when we were out of the commander''s tent. ''You must excuse the commander''s behaviour. He was always eccentric to begin with.'' I broke out of my thoughts with a start, and looked over at Captain Jiang. I had not realised that he was talking to me. I gave a small laugh, ''it matters not, Captain Jiang. We are used to eccentrics.'' The officer smiled. ''My apologies, I had not introduced myself. I am Jiang Wei, one of the platoon commanders of Fenglin Camp.'' ''How long have you been in this camp, Captain Jiang?'' I asked, noting how he seemed to be lost himself in this camp. Evidently, we had already made 2 wrong turns upon leaving Pang Tong''s company. ''Only too recently had I just arrived at this camp. I was recruited by the greatest strategist of Shu, Lord Zhuge Liang himself, to fight for Shu,'' he paused, looking left and right, searching for the next route to take. He decided on going right, which we in turn, followed. ''And please, just call me Jiang Wei. The rank of an officer is undeserving of me.'' That was true. In many militaries, especially in ancient China, ranks were bestowed upon people who had talent more so than people who stayed longer in the army. Often, men would find themselves in the lead of complete strangers who had just joined their military. It also meant that men often disregarded their leaders'' orders. It seemed like Jiang Wei was not from Shu originally. After circling around the camp, we finally arrived in front of a huge tent. Jiang Wei''s face was flushed; we had made a total number of 10 wrong turns. Not that I was really counting, but it was funny to see the chef of this camp at least 6 times after walking around the camp. ''My apologies,'' he said, ''I am really new to this camp.'' ''It''s quite alright.'' I said, and parted the flap that covered the tent. Upon entering, I realised it was actually quite well-furnished. There were at least 8 sleeping mats and there was a wooden bench and table placed right in the middle. The rest followed after me, and the girls, in contrast to my reaction, had really disappointed looks on their faces. Vanyssa caught my eye. ''What, were you expecting a hotel with spring baths?'' I mouthed to her. She merely shrugged and went over to sit at the bench. Jiang Wei himself entered last, closing the flap as he did so. ''Well, it''s not too shabby, is it? This is one of the most comfortable tents that we have around here. The well''s nearby, where you can draw water from,'' he looked over to Vanyssa and Kiry, ''I''m sorry, but we just do not have enough tents around to separate the men and the women. If you like, we could-'' ''It''s fine, Jiang Wei. We... Would not be sleeping much here anyway.'' Kiry shouted over from one of the mats that she was lying on already. Though what she said was true since we would be logging out of the game if we actually needed sleep anyway, I wished she would not have made the point contradictory by lying on one of the sleeping mats herself. Jiang Wei merely shrugged, and opened the flap of the tent to leave. ''Oh, and before I forget, be sure to be on your guard at all times. We expect attacks all the time,'' he said, before stepping out of the tent. The moment he left, I called all of them over to the bench, where Vanyssa was already pouring tea into china cups that vaguely resembled saucers. Only a little more thinner and taller. Like those that you see in those Chinese pugilistic films. I opened my mouth to speak, but Connor was ahead of me. ''Man, I wonder what that perverted old man''s doing to Aeryssya?'' He took out a little flask, which contained herbs of some sort, and took out a few to sink in his cup. He let it stir for awhile before drinking it. That look of satisfaction on his face was enough to make Kiry grab some for herself. While they were fighting, I took out 2 sapphires from my bag and placed them in front of me. Regrettably, I had realised that all my spells had shared cooldowns, be it whether I was casting them or using stored ones via Enchantrix. What this means is that I cannot cast consecutive Meteors or even Barriers to keep myself alive. But then again, it would have made me too powerful as a mage that cannot die. While I was caught up in my thoughts, I had not realised that Vanyssa had slid close to me. I felt a nudge in my ribs and I was brought back to reality. When I saw it was Vanyssa, and how close she was to me, I bit my tongue in excitement. ''Woah. Are you alright? Did you choke on the tea or something? There, there.'' She patted my back, after seeing how I was choking and spasming. This is bad; I HAVE to get used to her being around me, or I''ll never be able to survive around her. ''N-Nah it''s okay. I''m alr-alright...'' I blinked back the tears in my eyes, and looked at her again. I never knew how brown her eyes were this close. She giggled again, making my heart flutter like a butterfly. ''Well, what is it? You nudged me right?'' She pointed over to Connor, who was still trying to keep Kiry''s hands off from his cup, oblivious to the fact that Vanyssa and I were still around. Vanyssa sighed, ''look at them. Don''t they make a cute couple?'' I had to agree. These two were attracted to each other in a way that most couples are not able to exemplify. Vanyssa held her chin while resting her elbows on the table, looking at the sapphires that I had brought out. ''What are those?'' she asked. ''These are... Well, you could say they are my ammunition. I can store spells, you see. And when the time comes, if I have no time to use spells with extremely long casting durations, I use these instead. Look.'' I put my hands close together and started channeling mana into my hands. Pretty soon, a small model of Barrier formed in between my palms. Vanyssa looked astonished, but she never peered away. Slowly, I compressed the spell, forming a miasma of blue vapour. This I brought over to the sapphire, and let it sink in. The sapphire glowed for a moment, then returned to its original hue. I picked up the sapphire and handed it over to her. She held it in her hands and examined it. When she was done, she placed it back on the table, her eyes sparking in excitement and all. ''My my, you really aren''t just a normal mage, are you?'' She shook her head in amazement. I looked away in embarrassment. ''You''re pretty amazing yourself, coming up with a place like Accardia, in front of so many people just now too. How did you even know about it?'' I said, not looking at her while pouring myself more tea. It tasted sweet; not the sickly sweet kind, but the fragrant sweet kind. She must have some skill like Cooking hidden in her too. ''Well, thanks,'' I could feel a suppressed glee in her voice as she continued, ''but I''m not just a simple Dragon Knight you know. I do read too.'' To this, I guffawed. Her grades won''t really spectacular in school, so the only kind of reading she really does must be abysmal. I said this to her and was rewarded with a playful punch. Well, playful to her because she''s a warrior class, but to me, it felt like all the breath was taken out of me. She giggled again, and I could not help but laugh too. This moment here, was what I had been dreaming of for months. I really wished time would have stopped there, but alas, at that moment, I heard the tent flap open again, and the storming footsteps of an excited Night Elf woman. For a ranger, Aeryssya really does not bother to conceal her movements. Quickly, she regaled us a tale of what happened after we had left. Pang Tong told her of their plight in this war, and basically what has happened up to this point in the war. We all nodded our heads gravely as we listened. Kiry was the first to break the silence that ensued after Aeryssya had finished speaking. ''So you''re saying that these soldiers, when they die, they revive a few hours later and return back to their camps without a single recollection of how they died?'' She said, pouring a cup of tea for Aeryssya. She gave her thanks as she nodded and took the cup. ''So.. Their memories are kind of reset? Like back to when?'' I asked. Aeryssya thought for a moment. She put down her cup. ''I have a feeling it is reset back to the moment when this memory started. From the looks of it, all the people here have no idea that they are currently being played out in a memory. Pang Tong seems to know everything about this memory reset thing, but it is only because he has not actually died yet.'' When she said that, Jiang Wei''s words floated into my mind. ''My apologies, I am new to this camp.'' He must have died before, I reckoned. The poor bastard was not really new to this camp; he was just reborn to the moment when he first came to this camp. ''Anyway, we are pretty unfortunate to arrive now. Shu has recently lost a lot of its generals. Now that killing soldiers will not win the war, the common tactic now is to capture them instead,'' Aeryssya took out a missive from her pocket and gave it to us. ''Here''s a list of missing generals. And lucky us have been charged with finding the top name on the list. He''s in a Wu camp not far from here.'' I looked at the list. The first name belonged to a person called Zhao Yun. Apparently, he was one of the 5 main generals of Shu. A fierce warrior of the spear, he once took it upon himself to save a single child that was the son of Liu Bei in a castle swarmed with enemy troops and fire. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ''The camp''s heavily guarded, I presume?'' I asked, not looking away from the list as I peered down the names. ''Yes. That''s why we are going covert this time. And only you, me and Vanyssa will be going,'' she saw Kiry and Connor stand up in denial but she quelled them with a single look. ''The two of you have a different mission. Important one too, I might add.'' At this, the two of them looked satisfied and sat down. *DING*
[p=center]Quest Received! You are to seek out General Zhao Yun, who has been held captive by Wu soldiers in the east. A distraction in the form of a vanguard will attempt to attack the camp. Use this chance to sneak in and rescue General Zhao! Failure : If General Zhao Yun cannot be rescued, he will be moved to another Wu camp, where his trail will be lost. Soldiers of Fenglin camp will lose their favour of you. Quest Difficulty : C [/p]
Aeryssya finished her tea in one gulp and stood up. ''Finish your preparations. We leave in 5.'' She opened up the flap and left the tent. Remembering that I still had to restock the two spells I had used earlier, I took both sapphires from the bench and loaded them into my gauntlet. One had the fully charged Barrier, the other I loaded with Mistcloak. The entire camp was in activity. Soldiers were rushing about with weapons clad loosely to their armour. Those that were adorned with more elaborate armours were the sergeants, and they too were barking orders to their men. Horses neighed in the distance as lancers prepared to mount their horses. I looked around for Jiang Wei or Pang Tong, but they were nowhere to be seen. However, the men seemed to be moving in the same direction. Vanyssa and the rest came out of the camp with their equipment all in place. Connor had just finished chaining his tome of healing spells to his belt. It was then that I remembered that even though I had been blessed with the Holy affinity by Monkgar the troll, I had not managed to pick up any Holy spells. I turned to Vanyssa and Kiry. ''Hey, you girls go ahead first. There''s something I need to ask Connor before this. We''ll catch up later.'' Though Kiry looked displeased and suspicious, Vanyssa had managed to wrestle her towards the throng of soldiers. She looked back briefly, and her expression read, ''you owe me!'' I smiled gratefully and she turned around and left, dragging the screaming Kiry with her. I turned back to see Connor folding his arms, with a determined expression on his face. I stepped forward and looked at his tome. His eyes followed mine, and he reached out for his tome, rattling the metallic chains as he did so. ''This? It''s just a tome for my Hol-'' He asked with a puzzled expression on his face, but I put up a hand to stop him. He stood dumbfounded. ''I met him. That priest that we were talking about.'' I said, gazing into Connor''s widened blue eyes. For an African, this guy was the real deal of authenticity. ''When? Where? What did he-'' He asked urgently, only to stop himself, realising that the situation called for me to explain things further. ''Sorry I had not informed you earlier, so that you could see him yourself, but I will tell you more later. Right now, I need you to teach me some healing spells. I''ve been granted the Holy affinity, so that I can cast Holy spells now.'' Connor looked through his tome and stopped at the first few pages. ''Here,'' he said, pointing to a few lines of text, ''this a pretty basic spell. One that heals pretty basically, and requires low mana as well as having a low cooldown. I use it most of the time.'' I read through the text and was rewarded with a new spell in the Codex. *DING*
[p=center]You have gained a new Spell : Morning Light! Morning Light Basic Level 1. 0% Summons a pure morning light to heal your allies. Single target only Mana-cost : 50 Cooldown : 10s [/p]
''Thanks, bro. This will help us out later if we get into fights.'' I was about to turn to go but Connor stopped me. ''Hey, wait up! There''s something else.'' He said, flipping a few more pages of his tome. I gazed curiously at him, until he stopped at a page where there was only a badly drawn illustration. ''Look, I had once encountered onto this spell during one of my travels to the Holy Lands. But due to my specialisation into healing, I could not learn it. Maybe you could. Try it and see.'' I looked at the page closely, and this time I realised what it was. It was a picture of angels and crusaders spilling forth from a pillar of fight. And it was called... *DING*
[p=center]You have gained a new Spell : Genesis! Genesis Basic Level 1. 0% Summons a pillar of light, where angels and holy warriors of light will pour forth to smite your enemies! As you gain more levels in this spell, more warriors will spawn and the pillar will last longer. Mana-cost : 1200 Cooldown : 300s [/p]
''Wow, you''ve really learnt it!'' He said, gazing at my hands in wonder, which was glowing with white light. I was a little shocked myself, to experience a phenomenon like this. Just then, Jiang Wei arrived next to us, clutching his knees while panting heavily. He looked up, his face all pink with exhaustion. ''I-I''ve been looking all around for you! The commander requests your presence. Hurry!'' Quickly, Connor closed his tome and we ran towards the center of the camp. When we arrived, I saw how all the Shu soldiers were already lined up in attention according to their platoons. There were only 3, and Jiang Wei resumed his position in front of his platoon. Pang Tong was riding up and down with an impatient look on his face in front of his cavalry army. When he saw us, the cheeky grin was back. As he turned to address his men, Vanyssa rode up to us on a chestnut horse, bringing up two additional horses from the rear. One had a pure white coat while the other was of a hue similar to hers. ''Choose one. They''re ours for now.'' She said, as she encouraged the two horses towards us. Connor picked the brown horse, while I was left with the white one. ''Less spotting in battle. That white coat''s gonna get all the arrows in battle towards me!'' said Connor as he mounted up his horse. Well, I could not really blame his choice; he''s the healer anyway. I mounted my horse; just in time too, for the battle horn sounded and the camp doors opened. The soldiers roared as they charged out of the camp with Pang Tong in the lead followed by Kiry and Connor. *DING*
[p=center]You have gained a new Mount : White Horse! This is a ground mount. Increases speed by 300%. You may not go in combat while mounted. (Exception : Lancer class) [/p]
I was about to follow them when Aeryssya stopped me. ''We''re headed out of the back. The route we''ll take will encircle around the expected battle location while we strike the enemy camp. It should not be too heavily guarded. We''ll eliminate any resistance on the way.'' She spurred her horse forward. I looked at Vanyssa. She shrugged and followed suit. Soon, all three of us were out of the camp and into the open meadows. The sky was extremely clear, with hardly any clouds on us. If anyone were to look out, we would be easily seen as three black specks against the horizon riding fast towards south. But we were counting on the battle to draw all attention onto us. Sure enough, the battle had already begun. The vanguard battalion, led by Pang Tong had clashed with enemy cavalry just right in the middle of the grass fields right outside of the Wu camp. Swinging his staff around, he conjured flashes of lightning to strike enemy foes. I gave my thanks silently to that man as I spurred my steed faster and faster. We blitzed through the meadow fields and arrived unhindered at the back of the camp. Just as we had predicted, there were a few archers stationed on archer posts along the perimeters of the camp. I could risk shooting Fire Strike at them, but it might set the entire post on fire, thereby recalling the enemy troops. Then, I remembered I had a legendary ranger by my side. Aeryssya carefully chose an arrow from her quiver bent it slightly. It sprung back into its original shape with a slight twang. This was an extremely bendy arrow. ''Ricochet shot!'' She launched that arrow into the air, and her aim came true. It sailed through the air and hit the first archer, went through him and bounced to his partner next to him as well as hitting the signalman behind them, taking all three men in the post in one shot. My admiration for her went up at least a few levels; I mean, this was the woman, after all, who broke into Steam Society to rescue me. Though the guards went down without a sound, we knew we were only delaying the inevitable discovery of their absence from the posts. We quickly moved and ran towards the camp. Though the gates were bolted shut, we managed to find a ladder that the archers would use in times of emergencies, like if their posts caught fire. We used it to climb up quickly to the post where the archers were eliminated. From there, we had the entire view of the camp. I told Aeryssya to eliminate all the archers, so that no signal could be given to the Wu soldiers outside to retreat. She quickly did so, with the same arrow she used previously. All the archers went down without a sound. No one stood against the expert ranger. Quietly, we descended the post and entered the camp. With our weapons drawn, we quietly stalked around. I could have casted Mistcloak to grant invisibility to all of us, but I decided to save it just in case we ever needed to escape in a hurry. The layout of the camp was pretty much like Shu''s except that there more fireplaces around, and that the Wu had actually brought artillery with them. The ballistas and catapult machines were parked in lines behind the living tents. If they were ever deployed, we would not have stood a chance with our meager cloth tents. Just then, we heard the sound of a gagged animal. No, more like a gagged human. We followed the sound until we came to a cage near the stables. On a closer look, we saw a young man with his hair shredded all over his face. He was jerking about and trying to scream through the gag over his mouth. It sounded like he was trying to warn us of something. Though, whatever warning he was trying to give, it was too late. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Don''t forget to vote if you liked this chapter! Voting Link --> Invoker Next Chapter? Spell 24 : The Memories Spell 24 : The Memories ''Did you honestly think that we would leave our trophy behind for you to steal?'' A voice bellowed from behind, almost making all of us jump right out of our skins. We whirled around, weapons at the ready. Two broad-shouldered men stood facing us. One of them had on a mask of a demon, and he was the taller of the two. He held a club over his shoulder, which covered with an iron pauldron. He also had on a vest that was pocketed with many clusters of explosives, all dynamites and fuses of sorts. His partner had a lock of red hair that stood up like a mohawk. His facial features were remarkably sharp, especially his eyebrows that looked like an eagle''s. His entire body was marked by Arabic-looking characters splashed in black ink. He had on a modified version of a hakama, wearing only the pants. He kept his blade sheathed right at his hipbone. The two of them stood with their arms folded and staring straight at us. Behind them, their men stood at the ready to strike at us. The situation would have been tense, had it not been for the sneer that Mohawk had on his face. ''What''s wrong? Lost your nerve?'' The one with the masked stood forward. He then raised his club and pointed it straight at us, yelling ''COWARDS OF SHU!'' His men rallied behind him, cheering and booing at the same time. Some of them bashed their swords against their shields, making all sorts of noises they could to scream out their exhilaration. I furrowed my eyebrows, sickened by the sight in front of me. These soldiers knew nothing of etiquette; they were merely a bunch of savages. It was Vanyssa who stood forward. Her dragon armour was already on, and her newly-acquired dragon helmet, which was basically the maw of a dragon, gave her a greater intimidation factor than she could wish for. The Wu soldiers fell back a little, cowered by the sight of the Dragon Knight. ''Afraid? Of pip squeaks like you? Do not make me laugh!'' And with that, she let out a roar of a dragon. The ground shook and shivered with her bellow. If not for the fact that we were in the middle of a battle, I would have hugged her then. Her steadfastness was a sight to behold. Most of the Wu soldiers fell back in alarm. Some even dropped onto the floor in fright. However, their two leaders were unfaltered. In fact, Mohawk''s grin was getting wider and wider, stretching whatever skin he had left that was untattooed. He unsheathed his sword and swung it in the air. I blinked as the sunlight reflected off his shining blade into my eye. And the next moment, he was gone! I looked around in alarm, trying to find him. Then I felt my body stood still as his quiet and low voice trailed from behind me. ''Not bad, little girl. Had you been even a second slower, your head would have gone off too...'' My eyes widened in shock as I looked over at Vanyssa. Her dragon helmet was gone, exposing her entire face and a small cut on her face. She held her dragon claymore with her hands, shaking badly as she did so. Whatever Mohawk had just did, she had very nearly just escaped death. Mohawk reappeared back at his spot, with his sword sheathed and behaving as though he had not moved from his spot. ''Look at that,'' said he as he turned his head to look back at his men, ''are you all afraid of just a little girl? Fools, show them the might of WU!'' The Wu soldiers roared in unison, morale running high again as they rushed forwards as one. Those with shields took the lead, covering their allies in the back. However, that did not stop Aeryssya as she launched a single arrow in the air. ''Rain of Arrows!'' The Wu soldiers had not expected the literal rain of deadly arrows heading straight at them from above. A good number of them fell as the arrows went through every single part of their bodies. I had no time to lose. I looked around and saw many weapon racks around. ''Alter Time!'' Time slowed around me as I concentrated. Using Telekinesis, I mustered all my power and will in lifting all of the swords, pikes, spears, maces, and hammers from the weapon racks. Slowly, I willed them to form a straight line right in front of me. I opened my eyes and saw my targets. At that instant, time resumed back to its original flow. I released the weapons in a sweeping line of death at the soldiers rushing head-on at us. I could see how quickly fear took their senses as they saw weapons of all sorts flying straight at them. The collision between men and metal was not at all pretty. Screams of pain licked the air as I cast Meteor and Tempest Storm right off the bat, wiping out many of the soldiers. Furthermore, my newly acquired Genesis was proving out to be extremely useful as well. The pillar of light that is Genesis was spawning off waves of angelic knights and archers, which managed to hold off the soldiers. Aeryssya had also brought snake traps of her own, which when stepped on, released poisonous serpents that claimed victims of their own from the soldiers. She was doing well on her own. Meanwhile, Vanyssa had donned on her helmet again. To me, it looked very much like she was trying very badly to assuage her feelings of embarrassment of getting disarmed in just one hit. Her dragon claymore cleaved through lines and lines of infantry as she tried to get near to the two generals, who were just standing there, watching the carnage unfold. ''Crow! I will keep them off you! Free General Zhao now!'' Shouted Aeryssya as she shot arrows in a flurry. Most of her traps were holding well; there was not a single Wu soldier that could get past her. She saw how Vanyssa was attempting to push past the enemy lines and yelled at her, ''Vanyssa! You are too far out! Retreat!'' Vanyssa heard her, and did a crazy sort of a leap back to Aeryssa''s side. Then, to my greatest astonishment, she roared again and breathed fire! Potent waves of heat kept the enemy soldiers even more at bay. It was almost a miracle how it was just the two of them keeping enemy lines back. I silently thanked them for the distraction. Wasting no time, I quickly ran back towards the cage where Zhao Yun was held captive. But things were getting a little tricky. The two Wu generals had begun to make their moves. The one with the demon mask leapt over the fray and landed just right in between me and the cage that held Zhao Yun. He swung his club, almost hitting me but luckily I leapt back in time. Though he did not actually hit me, the force that came with it had actually pushed me back. This opponent was nothing like anything that I had faced before. ''Crater Force!'' He shouted, and slammed his club down on the floor. Several lines of force streaked out along the ground, cracking the earth as they did so. I only Blinked away just in time, to materialise a few feet from the spot I was standing on, which had already split open. I shot a Frostfire Bolt at him, which he deflected with ease. Lights of Heaven, my most effective spell against single targets, was also useless against him as he accurately judged the descent of the swords of light and destroyed them efficiently even before they impaled him Think think! There''s no way I could win him in a direct fight. What he lacked in speed, he made up with power and strength. Which means, I had to outsmart him somehow. I looked around for something I could use. There were two pits nearby that held coals which were set on fire, providing heat and basically just for illuminating purposes. That gave me an idea. It was a long shot, but it might just work. ''Cast Iron Maiden!'' Two blocks of solid rock encased Demon Mask before he could even react. Not that he did not try to; the inner poudings told me I only had seconds before he would break out. ''Cast Alter Time!'' The 30s cooldown for Alter Time had just refreshed, and I quickly used it again. ''Cast Mistcloak!'' I cast Mistcloak, not on myself, but on the pit of fire. It became invisible! Seeking the pit with my attuned magical senses, I quickly used Telekinesis to lift it up and slowly brought it above the Iron Maiden. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. I could feel every single corner of my brain straining with stress as I continued to levitate the pit above the rock. It was extremely heavy, and therefore required more willpower and mental ability from me to keep it steady. Hastily, I took out the gem that contained Barrier and cast it on myself. Any moment now... The rock burst open with a resounding bang, spikes flying everywhere and destroying everything in near sight. Tents were ripped apart, and some unlucky horses that were nearby were instantly killed. I took many hits as well, but luckily, Barrier took the brunt of the damage; I had my HP reduced to a quarter of what it was. Demon mask emerged from the tomb slowly, with his mace over his shoulder. And he spoke in a gruff voice, ''I have no idea what you were trying to do, but did you really think a silly rock tomb can stop me?'' I wiped the blood from my eyes as I tried to look at him. That last attack must have dazed me somehow; my vision was getting blurry. There was blood in my mouth and I spat it out, ''no tomb''s gonna stop you, but eat flames!'' ''Cast Tempest Seal!'' And along with that, I willed the pit to tip over. Demon Mask could not see the flames, but he could definitely feel the burning coals descend upon him. He yelled out in fright as he tried to beat off the invisible fire, but his movements had became sluggish due to the effects of Tempest Seal. He fell on the floor, trying to roll off the heat, but that was, unfortunately, the biggest mistake he could have ever made in his life. The flames got to his explosives. It was like watching fireworks, but instead of flares going up, it was kind of like an array of sparkling red fluids. Not really pretty to see, but at least, he was down. Slowly, I trawled over to the cage, dragging my feet as I did so. Demon Mask was not moving, sprawled all over the floor like a broken ragdoll. Zhao Yun was waiting impatiently in his cage, shaking the rungs with great agitation. He desperately pointed at the latch of the cage door, where only a person outside could reach. Before long, he was out. I undid the binds that held his hands together, and once they were free, he pulled free of the cloth that covered his mouth, running towards the battle that was going on between Aeryssya, Vanyssa and the mohawk guy. I cast Morning Light on myself as I ran back towards the other battle. The heal was not much, but at it did help with the bleeding. Little did I know that there was a stir of movement behind me... I caught up to them at last. To my horror, Vanyssa was lying unconscious on the floor, her blade right next to her while Aeryssya was clutching her right arm, which looked broken. The moment she saw me, she frantically tried to wave me back. Mohawk was just standing a few feet away from her, looking perfectly at ease. ''Well,'' said he, ''look who''s here. Another victim to add to my list. Ranger, watch as another one of your companions perish to my blade.'' In the next moment, Quick Time was activated. Even as time slowed, he was practically running towards me. I raised my hand for another spell, but there was no need to. At that moment, a spear came out from nowhere and impaled the ground right before Mohawk, shattering the earth as it did so. ''Gan Ning!'' came a voice from all around us, ''stop preying on those weaker than you! Come face me instead!'' And suddenly, Zhao Yun was standing with perfect balance on the spear that he had thrown on the ground. He somersaulted and landed on the ground, grabbing the spear and pointing it straight at Mohawk, who was apparently called Gan Ning. Gan Ning stopped in his tracks and grinned at Zhao Yun. Suddenly, there was a roar from behind us and I felt a massive blow to my back. I could not even yell out in surprise; I just fell forwards onto the hard earth. Pain enveloped my every sense and it was all I could do to not wreck about. With all the commotion happening, I could vaguely make out Zhao Yun grabbing me by my armpits, and I felt myself being dragged forwards. Everything was in pandemonium and I only could hear echoes in my head. I knew my HP was dangerously low, which was probably the cause of all this sense of lostness. I felt the familiar sensation of fire all around me as I began to panic. But then, darkness fell in my eyes and I lost consciousness. When I came to, I felt myself being rocked up and down. I opened my eyes and saw that I had been strapped to the back of a horse. A pounding pain was going in my head and I put my head up to it, gasping as I did so. ''You''re awake? That''s good. We''re not far now.'' Zhao Yun''s voice floated over the wind. Then, I suddenly recalled what had just happened. ''Vanyssa! Aeryssya! Where are they? Are they al-'' I began to ask but Zhao Yun put up a hand to stop me. From where I was sitting, his back was facing me as he pulled the reins of the horse. ''Your knight friend is safe. She is on Pang Tong''s horse. They went ahead because she is in need of immediate medical attention. As for your ranger friend...'' He stopped in mid-sentence, clearly not wanting to continue speaking. I felt fear and dread growing and at that moment, I lost control of my emotions. ''Why d''you stop? WHERE THE FUCK IS AERYSSYA?'' I screamed. Zhao Yun pulled on the reins and stopped the horse. He dismounted from the horse and walked back to look at me. ''Listen,'' he said as I struggled and fought with the ropes that bounded me, ''you were knocked out by Huang Gai''s fist, the one whom you were fighting while you were trying to rescue me. Though he took a heavy hit, he did not perish. At the same time, the Wu soldiers that were sent out to meet Pang Tong had retreated back to the camp. It would have been suicidal to stay and fight with just me and the ranger. She pleaded me to bring both you and the knight and escape. I disagreed with her, but the look on her face told me that she was determined on this.'' ''SO YOU FUCKING LEFT HER TO DIE?! WHAT KIND OF A GENERAL ARE YOU? LET ME GO! I''M GOING TO SAVE HER NOW!'' I roared furiously as I fought desperately against those beastly ropes. ''She did not want for all of us to die! I took you and your friend with me as she released a fire trap that spawned flames behind us, preventing anyone to cross over to stop us. If you are to go back now and get yourself killed, you would have made her sacrifice go in vain! Are you sure you want that?'' He pleaded earnestly, trying to make me see reason. ''But she''s all alone back there...'' Despair fell upon me as the harsh reality sunk in deep into my consciousness. I knew that there was very little chance that she would be alive, much less escape from two enemy generals and an entire battalion of infantry. Hot tears sprung up from my eyes as I thought about what she had to go through. Zhao Yun put a reassuring hand on my back as he climbed back up the horse. ''She had some last words though. And wanted me to convey them to you.'' ''What were they? Tell me!'' I asked quickly, all my focus on the back of the general. ''She said,'' he continued as he spurred the horse into motion, ''that there is a slight chance her sister might still be alive. Whatever you do, please try to find news of her. For her sake.'' The rest of the journey was silent as my heart sang out in sorrow for one of the greatest friend that I had the opportunity to meet in this world of virtual reality. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Next Chapter? Don''t forget to vote for Invoker if you had liked this chapter! Voting Link ---> Invoker Spell 25 : The Mix Spell 25 : The Mix From where my study table was, I could see rain pelting against the glass windows that looked out from my room into the outside world. The pitter-patter of the rain did no better to improve my mood as I looked up Aeryssya''s data log from the game website. The game had only recently released a new feature to the game, which was the NPC log. In light of the massive number of NPCs that had spawned up in the game''s AI, many players find themselves unable to locate the NPC that they need to find when they log in the next day, either to turn in a quest or to buy or sell something. All I could see from her profile was just ''Current location : Unknown''. Nobody had seen her. Nobody had heard anything about her. I closed my laptop in frustration and sipped my coffee in silence. No kidding, she was just an AI, but I could see so many human qualities in her than in so many other human beings I know combined together. In truth, I see her more as a real life person than most of my so-called ''friends'' in school. Not saying that I''m turning myself over completely to the virtual world, but I can only say that it is regrettable that we cannot be the type of people that we ourselves can produce. I received a text from Vanessa earlier this morning, requesting to meet up at a cafe near our school to discuss our next course of action in the game. For some reason, Connor and Kiry had blatantly refused to give us any of their personal contacts, only agreeing to meet up in the game itself. I had mixed feelings when I saw the text on Whatsapp. On one hand, I was insanely pleased that she''s perfectly agreeable with letting herself be seen in public with me. But yet on another hand, I was feeling a forlorn that she had mentioned nothing else in the text. I mean, I can''t even call it a proper ''date''. The whole purpose of this ''meet-up'' was just for work purpose only. And judging from her ''last seen'', I doubt she had even seen my reply saying that I''ll be there. I walked over to my cupboard and opened it up. Apart from the various event t-shirts that I had gotten from the school, I practically had nothing else to wear. I used to think that Spongebob shirt was cute, but now... Urgh. I had a sudden idea. Quickly, I went down to my brother''s room and opened his closet. There were heaps and heaps of stylish wears inside. They all had to be branded, judging from the colours and designs. I hastily picked one with an unfamiliar brand on and tried it on. Luckily, my brother''s built was slightly bigger than mine, but with all the workout that I had been doing recently, it fitted perfectly. I opened another drawer, and inside were layers upon layers of sleek pants. I quickly picked one that matched the shirt, and closed both cupboard doors with a silent prayer of thanks. Hopefully, he doesn''t catch up on this. He really hates people using his things without telling him. WIth everything on, I checked myself against the mirror and hastily combed my hair. I knew I was probably being the biggest hypocrite in the world because I keep telling myself this was not a date, but my actions have proven otherwise. But facing someone like Vanessa, logic never seemed like the proper thing to have around. And so, it was with a heavily-scented body, heavily gelled-up hair as well as with a heavily-loaded suitcase that I left my house. My mother had actually thought that I was my brother, and not me. My neighbours all thought that I was going to fight a law case when they saw me. Amidst all the staring and gaping, it dawned on me that I had perhaps gone a little overboard. Especially when I saw Vanessa''s expression at the cafe. Her widened eyes while sucking her straw told me that I was really overdressed for the occasion. She recovered quickly though, and began to laugh. And that laughter kept on ringing in my ears as I sat down opposite her with my cheeks all red. The smiling waitress came over and asked if I wanted anything. Her amused expression led on to show that she had caught on to Vanessa''s mirth. ''A matcha latte would be fine. Thanks.'' I said with an abashed expression, trying to look nowhere in particular. ''Coming right up. And if you don''t mind me adding this, fine attire, sir. Your girlfriend may be amused, but I can tell deep down, she''s pleased to see a fine young man like yourself gracing her presence.'' The waitress said, before turning around to go back to the coffee bar. Vanessa and I looked up at each other, and almost yelled out at the same time, ''We''re not together!'' Heads turned around to look at us and we quickly looked down together at the same time, our expressions both flushed. Well, this turned out super awkward... I stole a look at her. She was still sucking on her iced coffee with her cheeks still a little red. The noise I could only hear were the murmurs of conversations around us and the sucking noise that came from her straw. I''m the guy, so I should take the lead. ''So... Do I really look that weird?'' I decided to go with the situation, and instantly regretted it. When I played this out in my mind, I did not think my voice would sound this squeakish. And furthermore, I did not expect her to look up again into my eyes. She seemed to have recovered somewhat and said, ''well, I thought we were here on a casual date, but I did not expect you to dress like a businessman to attend your dates.'' As if to mock me further, she put down her cup and leaned forwards to sniff the air. She giggled again, ''y''know, you really should dress like this more often. It suits you.'' I pushed up my glasses and looked at her. ''Really? You think so?'' I asked. This was the first good look I had of her ever since entering the cafe. She had her auburn hair tied up into a sassy ponytail. She was wearing a polka-dotted blouse with those blue denim shorts that girls liked to wear nowadays. She merely smiled and said nothing. Her attention had turned to the suitcase I was carrying. With a start, I realised she was waiting for me to introduce its contents. In truth, I had done up a lot of research recently regarding the Battle of the Three Kingdoms, including the infamous conquests that we would no doubt be a part of if we participated as well as the various key figures that we had to look out for. I took out notes and pictures from my suitcase and placed them on the table. Vanessa took some at her own liberty and perused them in silence, only pausing occasionally to ask me about words she had never seen before. My matcha latte came, carried by the cheeky waitress, who looked every moment wanting to interrupt. I sent her away with a tip. After Vanessa had put down the papers she was holding, I looked at her and asked, ''Well? What do you make of this?'' She frowned for a while, evidently deep in thought before answering. ''At the rate I think we''re going, we won''t have much of a chance against Wei and Wu. If they decide to team up and take on us in skirmishes, we''ll be obliterated before we even know it. Our soldiers are close to 10 levels lower than the Wei or Wu soldiers, simply because they are all mere peasants.'' ''So you think that we should suggest giving them training, to bring up their levels and skills?'' I asked, sipping the green broth that I had ordered. I raised my eyebrows in surprise; I had no idea the coffees served here were this good. It was no wonder that this place was packed to the brim. She called the waitress over again before answering, ''training won''t be enough. I think we need something better.'' The waitress came over and Vanessa ordered some sandwiches. She turned to look at me questioningly. ''Oh, and some bagels for me. Thanks.'' I said. The waitress turned around again with a smile and bounced her way back to the kitchen. For some reason, her cheerfulness was off-putting when placed next to someone as perfect as Vanessa. ''Training requires time, and we need enemies for them to bring up their levels. If they die, and get revived, they lose all their experience while enemy soldiers become stronger. If this happens, we''ll have a never-ending cycle of leveling up the Wei and Wu soldiers instead. No, we need stronger fighters of our own.'' She continued, before taking out her phone. ''Look,'' she said, showing me her phone, ''these are the members of my guild. Plus some of these other friends of mine in the school, I think we can beef up the fighting prowess of Shu. The only hard part is getting the Shu leaders to accept them. And also, how are we-'' Before she finished speaking, I broke her off without looking up from her phone. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ''Wow. You really do have a lot of friends and admirers huh.'' She just sat there, transfixed on the spot. I could feel her gaze burning into me. I think what I had just commented without thinking had made things awkward again, and instantly regretted saying it again. This time however, it was she who broke the silence. And her words were spoken so shyly that I was taken aback and I could not resist the urge to look at her. ''Yeah, I do get a lot of attention from these guys in the school, but d''you know something? They all pretty much look the same to me. Or at least they give me the same kind of vibes that really do not set them apart.'' She sighs a little, before putting down her phone and leaning back in her chair. ''Everyone looks up to me simply because they want to make use of me somehow. I''ve got excellent grades, my dad''s rich and I know, at least based on all the flattery I receive on a daily basis, that I am pretty somewhat. All these combined together has given me fame and attention in school in a way that I had never wished for. You want to know why someone like myself immerse myself so deeply in gaming? You want to know why I chose to be a knight, instead of some other feminine role in RoyalRoad?'' She looked so serious that I had to nod my head and said nothing. She gave another sigh and rested her head on her palm. ''Because I want to escape this reality that I am trapped in. Everyone expects me to be famous and popular someday, something which I dread and fear constantly. That''s why I prefer the life I lead in RoyalRoad. WIth you, Benedict, Keith and Jay as well as with Dennis. You guys are so fun to be with; not all like the suffocating lifestyle that I have to lead in reality. Being with you guys is like freedom; I don''t have to care about my image at all. I can do what I want, and not care about anything at all when I''m with you guys.'' She smiled a little as she looked into space. I continued to drink my coffee in silence as I could not believe my luck. The 5-time voted ''Prettiest Girl'' in the school, Vanessa, was actually confiding her genuine thoughts to me, an unpopular twat that belongs to the drains in the very same school? In truth, I could empathize a little with all that she had said, but being in a completely different position as her, I knew that I could never fully comprehend the kind of life she''s really leading, but that did not make me any less sympathetic; I gave her a smile and said, ''don''t worry; if ever one day you do something unglamourous and your fame crashes to zilt, remember you still have us.'' She laughed softly, and beamed. ''Thank you, Julius. I really like being with you. It''s been fun knowing you.'' At that, I could feel my heart stop. For like a second. And so, for the rest of the afternoon, we talked about other things. Like how Kiry and Connor must be dating or something; their relationship in a suspiciously close situation. Like how Aeryssya had been a great mentor and help to me in the game. It was about 4 in the afternoon before we decided to leave the place. The little door chimed as I pushed it open to let Vanessa through. It was still cold and windy after the rain, the petrichor permeated our noses as we walked side by side along the pavement. In a way I was thankful I was in the huffy shirt and pants; at least it was keeping me warm. Though Vanessa''s thighs were exposed, she did not complain about the cold one bit. We reached the pedestrian crossing and she stopped there, turning to look at me. ''Well, it''s still early before dinner. Wanna catch a movie? She asked, looking at the expensive watch on her wrist. ''Movie?'' I asked, utterly flabbergasted that she actually suggested such a thing. ''Yeah. How about that new Spongebob animation? Man, I really love Spongebob. You wanna watch it with me?'' ''Sure! Let''s go then!'' I said, silently cursing myself for putting away that Spongebob shirt that I had. Well, no matter. I could still wear it the next time I see her... I reached home at about 8pm, just in time for dinner. The movie was incredible; for every moment in the movie, Vanessa and I were reliving our childhood memories as our beloved cartoon character Spongebob and his friends did their epic moments on the movie screen. There were many occasions that I had wanted to grab her hand in the movie and laugh and cheered along with her, but I did not want to push my luck. This was afterall my first date with her. After dinner, I immediately logged into RoyalRoad, and just in time to see the Shu forces had already packed up their belongings. I asked around the troops, but they knew nothing of what was going on. One of them pointed east, where they said they had last saw their commanders. I summoned my horse, and rode swiftly, looking for Zhao Yun or Pang Tong. Sure enough, they were still locked together, in deep discussion over what appeared to be a missive of some sort. They saw me coming and greeted me. I saluted them in return. ''What''s going on?'' I asked, looking at the missive as Pang Tong stowed it away. ''We''ve got new orders'', said Zhao Yun as he stowed his spear behind him, ''we''re to head south, where we are to regroup with one of our lord''s sworn brother, who is also one of Shu''s finest general, Guan Yu. Most of Shu''s generals and leaders are in disarray and scattered because of the mysterious curse that has befallen us. When they die, they appear in another location and have no recollection prior to their deaths. We have to find and help them.'' ''Excuse me. I have to speak to the junior commanders.'' He continued, before rushing off. Pang Tong looked at me with an apologetic expression. I knew what he was going to say next, but I put my hand on his shoulder, shaking my head and putting on a smile. He returned the pat and walked off as well, sighing as he did so. As I watched, the soldiers were all rushing to the center of the camp, where they were about to be briefed. I myself sighed, and followed behind them. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The camp was in ruins. Flames licked the air as tents continued to burn and bodies littered the ground in masses. There was not a sound around except for the cackle of burning firewood. The Wu camp had became a graveyard for the soldiers that it had previously housed. As the body count amounted to a number of close to 2,000, the still bodies of the two Wu generals that led this camp, namely Huang Gai and Gan Ning, laid close to each other. Their horrified expressions had not left their faces as they lay unmoving next to a sitting form of a lean Night Elf, who was evidently shaking a little. She was not dead, but in a matter of speaking, she was not truly alive either. In fact, when she lifted her head to look into the distance, her face was parted into two sides. One still held her perfect visage of lavender skin and eyes that shone like the moon. The other half of her face was also beautiful, but in a way that resembled death in a cold and mystifying way. She stood up slowly, her bow hung across her shoulders. As half of her face began to transform back into her Night Elf self, she whispered to herself. The wind carried her words back to herself as she turned and walked away, away from the direction of where the Shu forces were marching towards. ''They must not know. All of them, especially my beloved Crow, must not know that the Green Ranger is half-Night Elf and... Half-Undead.'' ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Next Chapter? Sorry that this chapter took so long to come out! I''ve been busy recently with work and other matters, and therefore did not really had time to write. But anyway, I''ve finally found time to continue the chapter! Hope you guys like it! :) Spell 26 : The Split Spell 26 : The Split General Zhao Yun was standing on a raised wooden platform so that his gleaming armor could be seen by every single soldier gathered in the center of the camp. In his hands was a missive of some sort penned down on flat wooden sticks bound together by threads. It was the ancient Chinese way of writing on bamboo scrolls that he held on in his hands. He looked up to make sure all eyes were on him, before he started to give his brief. ''To all my fellow Shu brothers, An unknown curse of some sort has befallen on all of us! The time for war is over! Before we fight the might of Wu or Wei, we must reconcile and unite ourselves. Facing a foe with a force so divided is akin to giving up on our own heads. Find the generals, regroup at our base camps and plan our next move! '' ''This,'' Zhao Yun continued, looking up from the scroll, ''is a message from Lord Liu Bei himself! A courier arrived early in the morning bearing news along with this missive that Lord Guan Yu has been sighted in the south. He is in dire need of reinforcements. His camp is being hampered by attacks from Wei forces as we speak.'' ''You have your orders. Now, pack up and move! For Shu!'' He rallied. The troops echoed after him and proceeded to break camp without a further delay. As I watched them, I thought to myself how it was a feeling to watch them so eager to join another ally even though this could very well end up in a march straight towards death. In times of conflict, a helping hand would go a long way in boosting morale to levels so extreme that it could topple nations. ''A penny for your thoughts, Elfish Sorcerer?'' It was like the call of an angel, which immediately brought me back from the pits of my thoughts straight into reality. I looked around and found a lovely sight. Vanyssa was in her armour again, though she chose to not hide her face. Her dragon-maw helmet was tucked under her arms and she wore a most delightful smile as she looked at me. She was so close to me that I was afraid that she could hear my heart beating faster and faster. ''Nah, just thinking some random thoughts.'' I said, then recalling she had just used a title given to me not too long ago. ''And please, don''t call me that. I''m uncomfortable with that title.'' I sighed and she giggled. It was a funny feeling to blush; it was like you could feel this slight aching in your cheeks. I looked away so that she could not see. ''Anyway, have you contacted your friends from the guild yet? I asked Commander Pang Tong; he said he was fine with it as long as your friends don''t complain about having to walk and climb mountains. Couldn''t tell if he was serious though...'' She was silent and I stole a look at her. I realised she was accessing her in-game User Interface to check on her guild. It was moments later when she answered. ''Yup, they''re coming.'' Said Vanyssa as she did some swiping motions in the air; probably removing her user interface windows. ''I told them to contact Aeryssya, but they can''t seem to... Oh. Shit. I forgot...'' She tried to cover her mouth but it was too late; I heard her and it was with a pang in my heart as I replayed that name in my mind. ''Never mind.'' I said with a croaked voice. ''Tell them to go back to Gloucest Castle, and seek out the Time Guardians. I found one of them there the other time we were solving the banner mystery; he might still be there.'' I paused for a moment before continuing. ''Excuse me, but I think Zhao Yun wants to speak to me.'' I rushed off, without even looking back to see Vanyssa''s reaction. I was lying of course. Zhao Yun was too busy engrossed with a head-to-head discussion with some of his lieutenants. I just didn''t want Vanyssa to see me in a moment of weakness. Aeryssya had been more than a friend to me; for someone to have basically only 3 friends in real-life, I craved her companionship more so than I had imagined before. This was not love, but more of a sworn brother-sister relationship that I share with her, and I could feel at times that she looked out for me as such too. It was with a heavy heart when I had requested to hear the news from the scout team who had went to see if they could find anything from the Wu camp that had previously been the captive home of Zhao Yun, and where Aeryssya was last known to be. The reports had came in rather grisly; everything was burnt down. There was no sign of any Wu soldiers so it was assumed that they had all perished and possibly revived somewhere. Aeryssya''s body could not be found, so it could not be ascertained whether she was truly dead, or alive and captured somewhere. She is not a natural inhabitant of this world, much like Vanyssa, Connor, Kiry and I, so if we do perish in this world, we are truly dead and cannot be revived. At least not in this world. She was an NPC though, so I had no idea how it would work out for her. I went to walk around aimlessly, helping out soldiers who could not carry some of the heavy equipment by using Telekinesis whenever I could. Though they gave their thanks still rather curtly, I could feel that they were slowly warming up to our presence. I walked past Commander Pang Tong''s tent and found that it was still up. I parted the tent flaps and walked in, only to find him rummaging through his mini library. He looked behind him and I could see a flicker of annoyance flashed past his face but when he saw that it was me, the frown vanished immediately, only to be replaced by a beaming smile. ''Come come,'' he indicated at the stool nearest to me, ''do sit down. I had thought that it was... Never mind. Is there anything I can do for you?'' He looked at me with questioning eyes. I paused for a moment, looking over at his staff, which was strapped to his back. But before I could even open my mouth, he had already guessed my intentions. ''You wish to learn something from an old man like me, I presume?'' He chuckled and poured out two cups of tea. He offered me one, which I took unhesitantly. I nodded my head silently and drank the beverage. It was rather crudely made, but for a camp like this, the tea was pretty much acceptable. ''Mo! Fa! Quan!'' Shouted he as he waved his staff around. A blue circle of light appeared on the ground beneath us. I yelped and jumped up in fright. Pang Tong chuckled again and gestured me to sit down, offering me more tea as he did so. ''What is this?'' I asked, accepting the tea, though I chose to remain standing, looking around warily. ''This, my friend, is what we Chinese mages call a unity circle. It focuses your thoughts, and helps you render minor distractions nearby useless. We use it to help ourselves perfect our abilities.'' It was true; I was receiving a +20% spell experience buff the moment he had summoned the circle. I felt like telling him it was unnecessary though; we probably won''t have much time left to practise anything anyway. ''Now,'' he began to say, ''our branch of magic is very different from what you have probably come to experience before. If I am the first Chinese mage that you''ve met in your lifetime, then you''re in for a treat.'' I didn''t say a word, but just kept looking at him earnestly, He seemed to appreciate the lack of interruptions from me. ''We believe in observing the natural order of balance. Entropy and order must be observed carefully. We use natural energy, what we call qi to amplify or cause disturbance in the natural forces around us. We can only summon firestorms if there is a spark. We can only summon a tidal storm if there is but a droplet. Or we can only summon an earthquake if there is so much as a tremor in the ground.'' It all sounded something similar to Mana Manifest to me, but instead of using mana, they were using this form of energy called qi instead. ''Qi is the natural energy around us. It comes from the sun, the earth and basically everything around us. We draw on the earth''s powers to perform our wishes.'' As he said that, a small thundercloud had formed up from the top of his cup, which I noticed, had became empty. The mini storm cloud had, in fact, started to rain tea back into the cup. I stared in awe and clapped my hands in glee. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. When he spoke next, his tone had changed dramatically into seriousness. And it was with narrowed eyes that he looked at me with. ''If I were to teach you this, you are bound to abide by this rule that I have for you. It is only but one rule, and if you shall ever break it, this magic shall be lost to you forever. No Chinese magician can ever teach you the same magic again, for it is a pact with nature itself you are breaking.'' ''I comply,'' I said, ''with whatever it is that you wish me to abide by.'' With that, he put his hand over my chest and I could feel a warm, yet not burning sensation in my heart. I peered down the tunic I was wearing, and with a shock, I found out that I had just been branded with a Chinese character that resembled ''Æø'' over my left breast. *DING*
[p=center]You have gained a new Ability : Qi You can now draw strength from your environments to further enhance your spells. When casting an elemental spell that is attuned with the environment, your spells will deal 30% more damage. You may also receive additional benefits which will vary depending on what kind of terrain you''re on. WARNING : If you ever misuse this ability, it would be lost. [/p]
''As you draw from nature, remember that there must always be balance. You can only take; you must not snatch. Nor must you try to exert your will on nature. All Qi users serve nature and nature, in turn, serves them back.'' He said as he gathered the static in the air. ''Now, I think you''re lacking a Lightning element spell in your arsenal.'' *DING*
[p=center]You have gained a new Spell : Thunderclap! Thunderclap Beginner Level 1. 0% You call upon static in the air to cause a minor static shock to all foes around you. Mana-cost : 50 Cooldown : 30s [/p]
Just then, a soldier popped his head in through the tent flap. ''Sir,'' he said, ''I am extremely sorry to interrupt, but General Zhao Yun is asking why your tent is not down yet. Do you ne-'' But before he could finish, Pang Tong sent him away with a dismissive wave. ''That man,'' he shook his head distastefully, reminding me of a badly-shaken dog, ''is one annoying, self-righteous sack of dung.'' He seemed to realise I was still in the tent, and he shut his mouth immediately. Clearing his throat, he said, ''I''m sorry that you have to hear that from me. Anyway, I''ve taught you everything you need to know. Someone as accomplished as yourself should be able to go on from here.'' Realising that I had just been subtly dismissed, I gave my thanks and excused myself out of the tent, only to find Kiry, Connor and Vanyssa waiting outside. Though Vanyssa was looking a little subdued from earlier, the other two were lively with excitement. ''C''mon, let''s go. Grab your mount; we''ve orders to scout ahead first to draw in any ambushes, if there are any.'' The two of them rode off laughing, definitely drawing the attention of every single soldier they passed. Vanyssa was on her own horse, but she was looking into the distance. I summoned my own horse and saddled up as well. We rode off silently together, not speaking a word as usual when we get into one of those awkward moments we seem to share more often than not. But it was she who broke the silence first this time. ''I''m sorry about mentioning Aeryssya to you just now. I mean, I didn''t know she was that important to you. Or that you cared about her that much.'' She said with an effort of trying to sound apologetic. Yet I could tell there was something forced in her voice, and I looked at her with a puzzled expression. She saw me looking at her, and for some reason, she was bitter with resentment. ''But don''t you think your relationship with her is a little too close for comfort? She isn''t a real person, I''m hoping you''re aware of that?'' I could not tell where all this repugnant distaste towards Aeryssya was coming from, but I could not take it lying down, even from Vanyssa. ''I''m sorry,'' I said, ''that you have to feel that way, but I know fully well she is not a real human being. That doesn''t mean she''s not REAL. Her thoughts, actions and feelings are as real as any other person I know, and in fact, I think she is more real as a human being than most other people in our world!'' ''Do you not hear yourself?'' She asked, furious now. ''You''re actually comparing real people to an AI? Are you so completely besotted to this world and that woman that you have forsaken your human self?'' ''No. That is definitely not what I''m suggesting. I have said nothing of the sort. I can still tell what is real from what is virtual, thank you very much. What I''m saying is that she is a real being in essence that has more humanely values than most other real human beings have. She has shown me kindness and sincerity which I can hardly find from many of the two-faced bastards I have seen in our world!'' I replied angrily, completely disregarding the need to retain docile in front of the one I love. ''So you''re saying I''m two-faced?'' She screamed accusingly. ''I did not say that! What''s with this bitterness of yours anyway?'' I replied reproachfully. ''I''m sorry, you''re right. This has nothing to do with me. I wish you a good day.'' She put on her helmet in peeved tones. And spurred her horse forwards at full speed, leaving me behind to deal with an awkward Jiang Wei, who came up to me slowly after she left. ''Women, huh? We Chinese believe that though women are supposed to be more logical than men in decision-making, they are also at times the most irrational people in the universe.'' Said he in bemused tones as he watched the dust from Vanyssa''s horse choke up some of the unfortunate soldiers who happened to be in her path. I sighed and said nothing, spurring my horse after her. This was going to be a long, long day. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ''Yo Bambsie, how long are you gonna take in that mine? I don''t even know why we came here. There''s nothing to be looted at all.'' Called Cluck from above. ''Coming! Just give me a minute. I think I found what I came looking for!'' Bambsie yelled from below. ''Found what he was looking for?'' Thought Cluck to himself. ''So we''re all here because of him?'''' He then said out aloud, ''what are you looking for?'' ''Just give me a minute!'' Came the eager voice from below again. Cluck shook his head impatiently and began to read his in-game mail to pass the time. His eyes lit up in excitement when he saw a mail from Vanyssa. He then yelled out, ''hey Bambs! Van''s saying she''s with our mysterious mage friend! She asks us to go find them! Are you listening, you twat?'' ''REALLY?'' Shouted Bambsie as he suddenly appeared from the hole below, giving Cluck a shock as he fell off his steed. "Let''s go then! Hurry!'' ''Yeah okay, give me a minute. You shouted me off my horse, idiot.'' Said Cluck as he expertly climbed up his horse. ''So what is it that you found below?'' Bambsie flashed a grin, and put a finger on his lips. ''Y''know, don''t tell anyone, but I think I might have just found a way to make nuclear bombs...'' He then clambered off cheerfully towards the entrance of the mine, leaving a dumbfounded Cluck on his horse which was bleating disdainfully. ''You found... WHAT?!'' Next Chapter? Spell 27 : The Sun Spell 27 : The Sun What am I thinking, letting go of my emotions like that?! Vanyssa rode furiously out of the camp gates, overtaking even Connor and Kiry in such a fashion that they had to stop and stare. But she didn''t care. Her anger from just now had subsided only to be replaced by a bout of worry and anxiety of what''s going to happen next. I''m usually more calm than I was just now! What happened to me?! ''Van! Hey, wait up!'' A voice came from behind after her. Oh no.. Now he''s coming after me! He''s definitely gonna be so mad! What do I do? Vanyssa pulled on her reins and her horse neighed in annoyance as it pulled itself into a stop. Clearly, it was not used to such a temperamental rider. Vanyssa continued to look in front even as I caught up to her on my own horse. I couldn''t even tell if she was mad or not; her helmet covering her entire face and all. ''Hey,'' I said, ''I''m sorry about what I said earlier. It''s just that I get very emotional when people mention Aeryssya. She did show me the best parts of the game to me, but I do admit I might have gotten a little overboard with my association with her. I prom-'' But before I could continue, she removed her helmet so that I could see her face, which to my horror, was tear-stained. She''s... Crying?! ''Crow!'' She sobbed. ''I''m sorry too! I don''t know what got over me! I mean, usually I really don''t get angry for no reason too! I don''t know what came over me... It must be the stress that I''m getting in school, I guess?'' She whimpered. I wasn''t really listening to her; I was just mesmerized by how delicate she looked right then. It was like looking at a fallen angel who had her wings clipped or something. ''Hey, hey!'' Another voice, this one thick with an African accent, came from the rear. ''What are you two lovebirds doing?'' At this, both Vanyssa and I sobered up immediately. She hastily put on her helmet, but even I can feel the crimson from her cheeks flush out from beneath her visor. Well, because I was blushing myself. ''Yeah yeah, speak for yourselves, you two. Anyway, we better be going. We''re supposed to scout ahead. Let''s get a move on!'' Without another word, she spurred her horse into motion again. Connor winked at me when he passed by. I didn''t know what expression to put on my face; I was just confused at what just happened. This was like ancient China; there were barely any structures around save for some small shacks and farms we found. Along the way, we met with some other Shu warriors. We told them of our mission, and they agreed to help us. At the mention of this General Guan Yu who was holed up like a cornered animal, they were eager to fight for us. Evidently, this General Guan Yu was a somebody in the ranks of Shu. Fortunately, during our scouting mission, we barely met with any resistance, save for a bandit gang who thought that we were travelling merchants with goods to steal. As Van and I readied ourselves to fight, Kiry and Connor cleared their throat and gestured for us to stand back. It seemed that they had something to show us. Curiously, Vanyssa did not unsheathe her sword, but kept her hand ready by her side. I did the same, anticipating whatever these two lovebirds had to show us. Connor was a paladin, while Kiry was a monk. He gathered Holy energy within his hammer to the point that it literally glowed, and with a great swing, smashed it on the ground in front of him, launching many heaps of rocks into the air that were infused with volatile Holy energy. Kiry then used this chance to make use of her deft and nimbleness to leap right into the middle of those rocks, and with her palm strokes, she sent those rocks flying straight into the enemy ranks. With the Holy energy imbued into those rocks combined with the force of her strikes, the rocks were basically Holy shrapnel that exploded right into the heart of the enemy. It was like watching a meteor shower that had targeting ability. In no time at all, the enemy was taken out with just a single combination move of theirs. And they actually had a name for it too. ''We call it the Holy Babies.'' Grinned Kiry as she got on back to her horse. Connor, was looking a little embarrassed, inclined his head to show that he had no part in the naming process. Vanyssa shrieked with laughter as she heard the name of their combo move. ''Seriously, Holy Babies, Connor?'' Asked Vanyssa as she chased after Connor in glee. It was close to sunset before we finally reached the outskirts of the battle that was going on. The Wei forces had brought a considerable number of soldiers just to keep Guan Yu down. The situation was as such : Guan Yu had managed to keep himself alive by defending his position that was backed up by a mountain to his east. The only way for him, as well as our forces, to escape was to go west into a mountain valley that would lead right up to a port, where ships are available. However, the Wei forces had the entire valley secured with their encampments. Our current position, as we await for General Zhao Yun as well as Commander Pang Tong''s arrival, is to the south, where the only thing blocking our path between ourselves and Guan Yu was just a small barracks. The Wei forces knew that Guan Yu would not go back to where he came from, so they left little resistance in the south, which was a fortune to us. As night fell, and there was still no sign of our forces, we decided to make camp. Connor had developed his Cooking skill to the Intermediate level, so I let him do the cooking. I assisted only in making soup and cutting the vegetables. We talked as we ate; our only source of illumination was the Luminous Orb I had conjured. My skill level at it was so high that I could now summon multiple Orbs and they would never die out unless they take damage. After dinner, Connor and Kiry decided to walk around our camp to make sure that we weren''t being scouted by enemy spies, though I suspect that they had something else in mind. The chatter from earlier had subdued itself into the familiar awkward silence between Vanyssa and I. Sensing that we both did not want to talk, I took out my gems and started to charge Meteor into one of them. ''Say,'' began Vanyssa, which startled me a little; I dropped the ruby I was holding and it smashed onto the floor. Her face dropped into a comical expression as she apologised. ''It''s fine. You were saying?'' I asked while sweeping away the glass fragments with my feet. ''Well,'' she continued, ''do you want to do a combination move like them?'' I did not immediately reply her; I took up another ruby and started charging it again. ''Well... I did think about it, but I don''t think that''s a good idea.'' I said, speaking more to the ruby then to her. ''Well, why not? She demanded, sounding a little hurt. I sighed, and my voice was carried over the buzzing of the insects that hid in the grass around us. ''It''s not that I don''t think we''ll make a good team, but I don''t think my abilities at the moment can meld themselves with yours. You know I don''t really have much supportive power; I''m more of an over-powered offensive class.'' I admitted sadly. Not that I was trying to be humble. but I admitted I really suck at being a support if I was given the role. At that, she giggled. A very mischievous giggle, I might add. ''For that, you don''t have to worry. I think I might have just the idea...'' --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Shu battalion finally arrived the next day, along with all of our friends. Bambsie went mad with excitement when he saw us; he literally set off a bomb under his feet so that he flew straight into me. Alter Time kicked in, and I side-stepped so that he crashed right into the stone ground. Of course, he stood up bawling becaus his HP took a critical hit with that dive. I laughed and gave him a pat. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Cluck was more dignified; his horse was now like a war machine of some sort. He wore armor with a tabard with some symbol on it. It looked like he had joined some guild himself. The grin he gave me told me he was thinking about the time I got to spend with Vanyssa all this while and I smiled back. There were a bunch of other people too; they were familiar faces that I had seen in school, though some of them were not exactly human. Dennis fronted the group and he laughed as he pulled Vanyssa into an embrace. It was like a high school reunion of some sort. But, the excitement died down as General Zhao Yun stood forward. ''I''m sorry to break this lovely reunion, but I believe we should move on with haste. Can I get a scouting report, please?'' He asked. Connor went forwards and gave it with great detail. Zhao Yun nodded in satisfaction. He turned back to his troops, who were eagerly waiting for their next orders. ''Warriors of Shu, do you hear me?'' He called out loudly. The Shu infantry stomped on the ground and rallied after their General. Pang Tong, I noticed, was looking away. ''Ahead lies General Guan Yu. We''ve fought long and hard to rejoin our brothers, who are in dire need of our help! A barrack or two may try to hamper us, but nothing will encumber the might of Shu! FORWARD, MY WARRIORS!'' He yelled out the last part with a roar and charged forwards. The Shu forces went forwards as one, charging straight towards the Wei barracks. However, the Wei forces had been one step ahead of us; they had anticipated our arrival and had set up a humongous wooden barricade that we had no way of breaking down because we had zero siege weapons. General Zhao Yun struck the barricade in frustration, but there was nothing he could do. The Wei soldiers stood on top of the barricade, jeering at us in glee. ''Dogs of Shu,'' they called out, ''try and save Guan Yu now!'' Everyone looked angry and anxious at the same time. We had reached an impasse. Nobody could have realised they were this prepared for our arrival. There was no way around because the mountain walls on either sides of us were too steep to scale. Therefore, the only way was to break down that wooden barricade. Wood.... I looked over at Vanyssa and she caught my eye, nodding. She was thinking about the same thing as me. It was time to bring out our combo move. To be honest, we both had no idea whether it could work and it was extremely dangerous on her part, but since she insisted, I gave in. When she told me of the idea last night before we logged out, I thought she had been crazy. I walked over to General Zhao Yun and said to him, ''General, I am going to try something. Order your men back from the barricade. It''s a long shot, but I don''t see how else we are going to get pass this.'' Zhao Yun saw the determination in my eyes and nodded. He made his men get back from the barricade, leaving me and Vanyssa standing side by side in front of the barricade. All eyes were on us; all of our friends were watching us and the Wei soldiers were laughing even harder now. They thought that we just going to try to break down the barricade with two people. ''Well,'' I thought to myself, ''that''s just what we''re gonna do.'' I looked over at Vanyssa, my eyes burning with magic as I nodded to her. She took the cue. ''Leap!'' She yelled out as she jumped straight up into the heavens. When she reached the highest point of her jump, she did a little back flip in the air so that her body was pointing head-first towards the barricade. ''Dragon Circle!'' As she wielded her claymore with both of her hands, she began to spin furiously. Her entire body was a blur of tornado-like motion. It was my turn now. ''Cast Iron Maiden!'' I encased her in a stone tomb, which would break apart with iron spikes flying out once the damage threshold to the tomb has been reached. The stone tomb was also beginning to spin in mid-air in a 360 degrees motion, following Vanyssa''s movement. The next part was the trickiest; I concentrated and imagined carefully the next thing I was going to do, which was to encase the stone tomb even further with a Meteor. As I felt the magic swell up within me, I opened my eyes and released the spell with all my will. A flaming ball of rock and lava appeared right in the spot where Vanyssa was, and it had begun to spin in the same whirling motion as the Iron Maiden it had now swallowed up. It had worked! I looked over at the Wei soldiers; none of them were laughing now. Their shocked expressions told me that their minds had gone entirely blank. ''Eat this!'' I roared. With Telekinesis, I willed the ball of fire straight into the barricade. It was a most tiring feat; my mind burst with the effort to move the Meteor, and it successfully went crashing into the barricade, knocking it down like a bowling pin. Furthermore, upon impact with the barricade, the meteor had exploded, raining flaming rocks upon the Wei soldiers, who were screaming in pain. Accompanied with those debris was the spikes from the Iron Maiden, which had also split open. They shot out in all directions, with increased speeds because of the motion caused by the spinning done by Vanyssa. Those spikes were also covered with flames, which went through tents and tore them apart with ease. And Vanyssa? She was literally dancing among the flames; her entire body and sword embued with fire as well. She leapt around in the same tornado-motion, hacking and slashing with all her might. Where she landed, she left behind a trail of flames. Her dragon armor was fire-proof, so she was using the flames as an enhancement. Within seconds, it was all over. What was previously a barricaded Wei encampment was just a burning wasteland. Everyone who was watching cheered in awe and shouted our names in conjunction. The Shu soldiers carried us over their heads as they marched straight towards Guan Yu''s camp. Over all the commotion, I could see Bambsie going crazy with delight as he mimed the motion of the meteor to Cluck, who was trying to smack him to calm down with his lance. Kiry and Connor were talking furiously, probably trying to find a new combo move to outdo the one we just performed. I could see Dennis and his friends cheering for Vanyssa as well. Speaking of Vanyssa, I saw her being carried by another platoon of soldiers and waved at her. She caught my wave and beamed in return. *DING*
[p=center]You and User Vanyssa have gained a Combo Ability! Please give a name to the new ability : __________ [/p]
We had both received the same notification. I looked at her and shrugged. She shook her head. ''Well, let''s call it... Diving Sun?'' I shouted to her over all the cheering. She grinned and gave me the thumbs up. Next Chapter? Spell 28 : The Pugilist Spell 28 : The Pugilist Most of the plants in these rocky regions were mostly just shoots or small shrubs that barely grew to much heights, even at the peak of their growths. It was therefore almost impossible for everyone to satiate their dying thirsts. There was barely any dew around for them to collect in their gourds. And yet, they still have no choice but to defend their position from the Wei prowess. As we entered the camp, I was shocked at how anorexic some of the soldiers had become, and yet they were still able to bare their fangs at their enemies and defend their position. I suspect not for much longer though; some of them don¡¯t even look like they can hold swords anymore. General Guan Yu was not quite what I had expected to see. His most noticeable feature was his beard, which was so long that it flowed over his chest like a curtain. His skin was almost crimson in colour, and though he looked even thinner than most of his men, his muscles were still very visible under his parched skin. His choice of weapon was a yan yue dao, which was also known as ¡®Reclining Moon Blade¡¯ in English. It resembled something like a pole arm and spear at the same time; the blade at the top was curved. Curiously though, there was a piece of red cloth attached to the other end of his weapon. When he saw us, the joy on his face was unmistakable. He was extremely overjoyed to see that help had arrived when all hope had seemed lost. He came running towards us, and in one big grab, he embraced Pang Tong and Zhao Yun together. The two of them had no choice to return the embrace. Up close, I noticed that Guan Yu had suffered many grievous wounds, and some of them were even fresh. He shook ever so often, as though the wind itself was cutting into his grazed flesh. I think if we were ever later than this, this camp might have already been wiped out. After what seemed like a tearful reunion, Guan Yu had finally seemed to notice all the men that Zhao Yun and Pang Tong had brought. He resumed a dignified pose, and came over to the Shu soldiers, who were all looking at him as though he was a god. Who could blame them? I mean, this guy¡¯s history was already a legend itself. No one commanded more charisma than he himself. Every Shu commander was known to have his own virtue; this man oozes charisma like a well. When he¡¯s on the battlefield, he literally boosts the stats of every allied soldier around him. After interacting with some of the men, he gave them the order to make themselves at home in this camp. And then he finally noticed us; people who were not of Shu. His expression became guarded. ¡®And who might you be?¡¯ He asked, addressing all of us who were not decked in the green colours of Shu. ¡®Lord Guan Yu, these are men whom we had found in the course of our journey to find our lost brothers. They fight valiantly, and if not for the two of them,¡¯ said Zhao Yun as he indicated at Vanyssa and I, ¡®we would not have been able to come to you here.¡¯ Guan Yu, though his expression remained unchanged, took a step forward and read our faces. Particularly longer at those who were not human at all. Luckily, none of Vanyssa¡¯s friends had the sense to take on a freak¡¯s appearances. Who knows what Guan Yu would do if one of them had been a troll or an orc? ¡®Well, if they are anything like you say, we¡¯ll see what they can do in the upcoming battles. Ping! Show these warriors where they can sleep! I have matters to discuss with Lord Zhao Yun and Commander Pang Tong here.¡¯ He called over to a man, who was holding a massive blade made of stone. This Ping, whom we later found out was actually Guan Ping, Guan Yu¡¯s son, brought us to some uninhabited tents near what we assumed was a makeshift kitchen. This Guan Ping was young, and like his father, he was modest and seemed to be as charismatic as his father as well. He had somehow appointed Vanyssa as our leader simply because she was of a warrior class. Admittedly, he had not seen her true appearance. Well, let that be a shock to him when he finds out the Dragon Knight was actually a girl. We were pretty much left alone after that, and we made use of the time to make the tents more comfortable for us, though honestly speaking, we would not be sleeping here anyway. Not in virtual reality at least. After that, Vanyssa and I were made to recount our adventures here so far. Kiry and Connor had their own bits to add in too, though none of us, I noticed, had mentioned Aeryssya at all. We regaled on how we had entered this world, and then made the decision to join Shu, thus stumbling onto Pang Tong¡¯s camp. The story on how we rescued Zhao Yun brought much excitement to them. At this, I felt like I could not go on talking anymore, and excused myself from the group. Nobody really seemed to mind; the attention was all on Vanyssa anyway. I opened the tent flaps and walked outside into the scorching sun. It was really blazing hot, and I could feel all the heat waves emanating off the ground. Deciding that I had nothing better to do, I walked over to one of the sentry posts. It was like a wooden platform perched on wooden pillars that held it up above the wooden barricades that surrounded this camp. The sentry had not noticed me coming up, and was still standing perfectly vigilant as he faced the mountain valley. What I saw was completely unexpected. The mountain valley was just a narrow path that went gently sloping up, but at every interval of a few kilometres at most were gates. Not just simple metal gates, but massive fortifications that served as blockers along the path. And behind each gate was a Wei encampment that provided supportive backup for the gate should it ever be breached. There were a total of 5 gates. It was no wonder that even a mighty general like Guan Yu himself would be unable to cross this valley by himself. ¡®Say, those gates are really well-guarded, huh?¡¯ I asked, trying to start a conversation with the sentry. When he said nothing, I looked at him, only to be doused in horror as I realized why he had been a wooden block all this while; he was dead. There was a gigantic puncture at where his Adam¡¯s apple used to be, and a vile, green liquid had poured forth from the hole. I looked over at the other sentry post on my right, and I realized that he, too, had suffered the same fate. These men had been silently taken out, and there could only be one reason for it. And then I saw it. The mountain path in front of me seemed to be moving. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.The sand, dirt and stones on the mountain path were not actually shifting, but from time to time, I could see some of the rocks glide along in motion, as though a shadow that had meant to be there was not actually there. Which means there was actually someone walking along the path, and camouflaged like a gecko into his surroundings. And, it felt like it wasn¡¯t just one person. ¡®Cast Tempest Storm!¡¯ A swarm of arcane energy appeared, swallowing up the entire path right in front of our camp¡¯s own barricade doors. Within moments, I could hear screams of pain lick the air as weapons drop onto the path with metallic clangs. People were starting to edge into vision; their cloaks of camouflage dissipating, and they were all dressed in violet colours. The colours of Wei. ¡®INCOMING ATTACK! TO ARMS!¡¯ I yelled out, away from the Wei soldiers as I launched a Fire Strike into the air, causing it to explode with a loud bang. That was enough to get everybody¡¯s attention, and the camp was in an uproar as soldiers scurried to get their weapons and armour. I had my back turned to the Wei troops, and I had not realized that there was someone who was behind me. A shadow loomed over me, and I turned back. He was literally floating in the air. Covered in violet robes that had very fine cuttings, this man was dressed more for comfort than for battle. He was also wearing a purple ushanka on his head, and in his hand, he held a fan. Quick Time was activated, but I saw no incoming spells. Apparently, this man¡¯s presence was enough to spook my natural defences. I shot a Frostfire Bolt at him, which he deflected with ease with just a swipe of his fan. I shrunk back in alarm; this man was probably not much older than I am, and yet he was already more than accomplished as a magician. And that was not a weak spell I threw at him. ¡®Another magician? You have skill, but how will your skills fare against a prodigy?¡¯ And with that, he twirled his fan again, releasing a ball of dark energy straight at me. I had only just enough time to release a fully-strengthened Barrier from one of my gems that I stored up. But it shattered immediately when his spell hit the air in front of me. That spell he shot at me was so strong that it could instantly destroy my strongest Barrier. This person was so strong that I was transfixed on the spot. At best, my level was only about 156, but this person had to be above 300 at least. He was an absolute monster. I was in real danger now and I knew it. The man¡¯s eyes flashed in excitement as he prepared another spell. The air around me started to crackle with dark energy. Whatever he was doing, I knew I would not be able to block it. Just then, a potent bolt of lightning struck at him head-on from the sky. He cursed as he had to stop his spell, and summon a shield of purple fire to block the lightning. I felt a presence materialize beside me, and I turned my head. To my relief, it was Commander Pang Tong. ¡°There¡¯s no way you can win this monster. Take the ground; let me handle this one.¡¯ He said as he waved his staff to prepare another spell. I nodded to him thankfully, and used Blink to teleport to the ground. The sky began to flash with different hues as the two master mages went into combat. However, they were not the only ones fighting. Another had started at our camp¡¯s doors. My friends were already in the thick of the battle, trying their best to push the wave back. With a yell, I went straight into the fray as well. Guan Yu was like a god on the field; his Crescent Blade was like a whirl as he struck killing blows not only at the Wei soldiers who dared approached him, but also into the minds of those who saw it. All of his strokes were perfect; he struck quickly, and efficiently. ''Dragon Force!'' He cried out as he swung his blade repeatedly in a cycle, using just pure force to conjure up winds to knock back all of his enemies. Luckily, he stood all the way to the front, and so when he attacked, he only hit Wei troopers. With one cleave, he shot a line of pure force that went straight down the enemy lines, cutting through those who foolishly stood in the way. He did all this while suffering from a state of undernourishment. If he was at full strength... Zhao Yun was also holding on his own as well. He had led another platoon of soldiers himself up the mountain to attack the archers that were harrying us with their arrows. Those archers had hit on us pretty hard, but luckily Zhao Yun was able to take most of them down. It was chaos everywhere. And the sounds of the battle shook the air. The lines crumbled, and pretty soon Wei and Shu soldiers were mixed in a crowd. I could not use any of my wide area of effect spells, in case I hit an ally. Using my newly acquired Qi, I used Earth Spikes to attack the Wei soldiers. They were mostly only Level 120 foot soldiers, so they went down very quickly. On top of that, Earth Spikes was a skill that was primarily based on the Earth element. With Qi, the spikes grew bigger and began to shoot out like branches, reaching and killing off even more Wei targets. The battle was still going smoothly, and things were soon turning in our tide. But I felt that something was very wrong. This was too easy. The Wei forces would not have sent a force like that on a suicide skirmish since they already knew that Guan Yu had reinforcements. And we took down their barracks in the south too. I felt dread growing inside me as I realised something. This was no suicide skirmish. This was just a diversion. As I looked back, time suddenly seemed to slow. An arrow flew past. But it''s projectile was not towards any of us. It was aimed towards the sky. Towards the sentry post where I was standing on. ''Commander, watch out!'' But it was too late. The arrow was already on its course towards Pang Tong''s heart. But at the last moment before the arrow found its home, another came from the side and knocked it off course. I turned to see who was our savior, but when I saw who it was, her name was lost somewhere along my throat, and all I could only do was croak. There was no mistaking that lavender skin anywhere. ------------------------------------------------------- Do check out my second fan fiction! Link''s here!