《Commoner Online》 Chapter 1: A New Start Proofread by: Kiyuta and Sturmwaltzer, thanks guys! :D As the bell rang for lunchtime the young actors and actresses attending Blue Flower High School chattered among themselves, walking outside and emptying the class room of people. The boy covered his face slightly and allowed himself to be pushed along the flow of exiting students. Once he had reached the outside of the class room he swerved casually around the crowd of individuals that were gathering around his class room. ¡°Hey Gold!¡± A head perked up from behind the crowd and a hand waved at him. He slowed his pace and after a few moments a slender, blonde girl walked up beside him while panting. He stopped to let her rest for a few seconds. Sasha always had a weak body and even the most basic of exercises could prove to be a challenge for her. ¡°Avoiding,¡± *pant* ¡°the lunchtime crowd again?¡± She gazed at him and he nodded. He smiled and lifted his hand out to her. Sasha grinned and instead of taking the hand she wrapped her arms around his, sweeping her hair partly into his face to cover it. He saw a friendly smile spread over her face and they walked down the hall in peace. A couple of visitors talked loudly as they walked past them. ¡°Is there someone famous over there?¡± One of them indicated towards the group of people he and Sasha had just left and the other shook his head at his companion in disappointment. ¡°Dude, don¡¯t you know? Andross Silver is in that class room.¡± ¡°Oh my god, maybe I should try and get an autograph?¡± The visitors walked out of hearing range and Sasha poked her tongue at their backs. She turned back to face Andross. ¡°You would think they would be used to seeing actors in an acting high school.¡± She casually flicked her hair back behind her ears and spoke formally. He recognised the gesture as a sign that she was annoyed and laughed. As the merry sound echoed across the empty hallway her smile widened. ¡°How do you do it?¡± His eyes squinted as they exited the building and the sunlight hit him. ¡°You get used to it after ten years. Don¡¯t let it get to you¡± She looked at him sympathetically and hugged his arm. They walked out of the courtyard and he spotted a familiar black limousine. ¡°Well don¡¯t worry.¡± She patted her hand against his arm ¡°You¡¯ll always be Gold to me.¡± He bowed as he opened the door to the back of the limousine, ¡°Mademoiselle. Your carriage awaits.¡± She let go of his arm and curtsied while giggling. ¡°T-¡± *cough* ¡°Thank you,¡± *cough* ¡°my humble prince.¡± As soon as she began talking, coughs wracked through her body and interrupted her sentence. Even though he had been supporting her the whole time she was still in such discomfort after such a short walk. It pained him to see her like this. As soon as the coughs subsided she elegantly slid into the back seat and gestured for him to come nearer. ¡°You know,¡± her sky blue eyes glittered as she whispered conspiratorially to him, ¡°I have recently had the most exquisite mosaic art piece placed on the roof of my bedroom and it has been gilded in the purest of gold. Unfortunately my mansion is empty tonight and there are none to admire such a fine testament to the traditional arts.¡± She leaned closer to his ear and he could feel her breath brushing against it ¡°Perhaps you would be so bold as to come over and enjoy the hidden pleasures of my chambers.¡± Andross swept his black hair behind him as he raised his head the sky with a tormented face. ¡°Mademoiselle I¡¯m shocked, could it be that you are implying we engage in immoral acts? Why, my guiltless soul shatters at the very thought.¡± She put her hand to her mouth in mock horror but he could see the smile that had entered her eyes. ¡°An innocent and precious young lady such as me would never suggest such a promiscuous thing to a gentleman.¡± They broke out into laughter and he gazed at his friend admiringly. ¡°Could those be the lines of the lead heroine of the new fantasy drama Into Darkness that I hear coming from your mouth?¡± She grinned and that was all the confirmation he needed to know that she had gotten the part. He swept her up into a giant hug, lifted her out of the limousine and swung her around the air joyfully. ¡°You got the part!¡± He looked at the young actress and put on an air of confidence, ¡°I knew you could do it, from the moment you auditioned the part could go to no one else. If anybody asks you can tell them I called dibs on you receiving the part.¡± Her eyebrows rose at his rough speech and she put on a dignified air. ¡°Why my dear Andross, what woman could resist such charm and poise. Your every word seems sculpted towards the goal of alluring the woman around you.¡± She crossed her arms as though she was angry. ¡°You know that doesn¡¯t work when your hair is ruffled,¡± He thought for a second, ¡°Mademoiselle.¡± He added. ¡°Oh, posh posh¡± she blushed and lightly hit the end of his nose and he gently placed her on the ground. She took out a mirror from her purse and did up her hair. She sat back into the limousine and placed her hand on the seat next to her. He sat down and closed the door as he did. The limousine began to move and he looked at her curiously. ¡°You don¡¯t usually invite me back to your place.¡± She spread her legs out across the space in front of her and yawned. He smiled, as soon as the public eye was off of them all poise was gone with the wind and the two could go back to being ordinary people. She placed her finger in front of her blood red lips to indicate silence. ¡°I¡¯ll show you when we get there.¡± ~~~~ ¡°Good afternoon master Silver, may I be of service?¡± A maid greeted them at the entrance and bowed deeply at Sasha and then entered a lighter bow for him. ¡°No thank you Sophie, thanks for the offer as always.¡± ¡°My pleasure master Silver.¡± She walked towards one of the numerous rooms in the mansion and Sasha dragged Andross up the long staircase that ran from the middle of the house to the second floor. She was almost running by the time they entered her room. They stopped next to her bed and he patiently waited for her coughs to subside. ¡°Stay here for a second.¡± She pushed him onto the bed and ran off into an adjoining room. He gazed around the room in wonder. He always found himself in awe when he was in here, it was the size of a house and the bed itself was the size of two king sized beds. The room was covered in plush dolls of all shapes and sizes. Sasha had been collecting them since before he could remember. His head turned as a door opened and Sasha walked into the room in her underwear. He lifted his eyebrows and she blushed slightly. ¡°Oh come now, it¡¯s nothing you haven¡¯t seen before.¡± He smiled and looked up, ¡°I see no gold gilded mosaic art. I think I have been tricked by your schemes and machinations.¡± She rolled her eyes and grabbed his hand. He followed her into the room she had just left and to his surprise the room was bare except for two metal pods placed so that one could rest comfortably on one like they would in a suntan booth. ¡°What is this?¡± Her eyes were filled with excitement but she started to lift his shirt over his head. ¡°Strip first. Then I¡¯ll explain.¡± Somehow he thought that it would have been easier if they had both gone into the room in the first place. But he was sensible enough to know that such a question would earn him the wrath of the woman in front of him. He stripped down to his underwear and stood proudly in front of her. She whistled, ¡°No wonder they call you the next Brad Pitt.¡± Andross sighed at her words. Even the critics had constantly compared him to this ¡®Brad Pitt¡¯ person and as he had no knowledge of actors who had died over thirty years ago, he had never quite understood the reference. Her gaze swept over his body, starting from his muscular arms and running over his tight and chiselled abs. He had spent years working his body and practicing martial arts so that he could attain the pinnacle of perfection. He looked at her curiously. ¡°If you wanted to stare at my abs I could have pretended to not catch your sneaky glances in your backyard pool.¡± She rolled her eyes and looked at the capsules. ¡°These,¡± she said pompously, ¡°are going to be my way to walk again.¡± Andross stared at her in disbelief. ¡°T-they found a cure?¡± She stepped back, startled, as his eyes began to water and he hugged her. Ever since she had been struck with an unknown and incurable disease in her early teens he had watched her struggle day after day with even the easiest of tasks. The doctors had been at a loss as to what the disease was but they know if had been eroding her bone density. The loss of endurance was only a small side effect to the dangers that the disease presented. She pushed him away from her body and shook her head sadly. A single tear escaped her eye and he lifted his finger to her cheek to wipe it off. She looked up again and he could see a smile forming on her face. ¡°This,¡± she pointed again to the pods, ¡°Are virtual reality capsules. Have you heard of the game Best of Best?¡± ¡°You mean BoB? Of course I have. Even the actors and actresses in my class all play it.¡± Virtual reality games, the latest trend that had swept through the world twenty years ago. After the success of military virtual reality training hit the news, several big corporations had spent hundreds of millions of dollars into developing virtual reality games for the masses. Initial games had been slow to react and had featured limited content but over the years the genre of gaming had improved in quality and eventually surpassed every other genre, causing them to disappear off the face of the earth. The pinnacle of this era of virtual reality gaming was Best of Best Online. Affectionately known by the world as BoB, this virtual reality game featured graphics comparable to real life and an immersion experience beyond what one would get from another of their competitors. BoB had swept through the world and as its market of consumers grew so too did its popularity. In an endless circle of increasing sales it was hard to find anyone except for full time workers who didn¡¯t play the game and even they played the game on their off hours. ¡°You don¡¯t have an account on BoB do you?¡± Andross shook his head at Sasha¡¯s question. He was a full time actor and as one of the biggest movie stars in the world he was never short of work. Between his job and his hobby of martial arts he never had the opportunity to play games or engage in any other recreational activities. The only time he took a break from either was to visit and go out with Sasha or meet with interviewers for potential jobs. Sasha gestured to the capsules, ¡°I-I haven¡¯t made one either,¡± he could tell by the way that she was looking at him that she had been waiting for him to come before she tried it, ¡°I know you don¡¯t have any jobs at the moment. Just come. On. In.¡± She grabbed his arms and dragged him to the capsules. He smiled as she tried to force him into the capsule and entered it willingly. He had never considered before but it made sense that if she entered virtual reality she would be able to move her body like she hadn¡¯t been able to in years. He felt small tremors run across her body and he realised that she was trembling at the prospect. He clasped his hand around her and squeezed it tightly to tell her not to be so nervous. She smiled gratefully and waved goodbye to him. Then she left his view and he heard the door of the other capsule opening. ¡°Start at the Continent of Marcades and capital city Trinim.¡± He nodded even though he knew she couldn¡¯t see him. The next moment his vision went black and stars twinkled around him. He looked around and saw that he was still in his underwear but no longer hooked to the virtual reality capsule. Judging from the giant glowing triangle in the middle of the stars Andross guessed that Sasha had already pre-programmed the capsule to send him straight to Best of Best. The glowing blue triangle was the symbol of the TriForce Corporation, the makers of Best of Best. Originally the virtual reality gaming market had been dominated by three giant corporations each hauling in billions in profits. But after a while they decided to merge into one corporation called TriForce so that the gamers could experience one truly terrific game, which they named Best of Best. It was this merging that was the main factor in Best of Best¡¯s takeover of the entire virtual reality gaming market. [The scan on your iris and vein has determined that you are an unregistered user. Do you want to create a new account?] Andross¡¯s thoughts were interrupted as a melodious female voice echoed across the starry space. He looked across the space to see who was talking to him and the voice repeated itself. [The scan on your iris and vein has determined that you are an unregistered user. Do you want to create a new account?] ¡°Yes.¡± It was clear to Andross that this was some sort of computer generated voice. He hadn¡¯t been in a virtual reality game before so he wasn¡¯t one hundred percent sure though. [Select the name of your avatar] ¡®My avatar? What¡¯s that?¡¯ ¡°Err, computer, specify avatar.¡± [An avatar is the physical representation of your character in game] Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡®I see, so this is going to be the name that everybody sees.¡¯ The voice repeated itself after he hadn¡¯t spoken for a minute. [Select the name of your avatar] ¡°Commoner¡± Sasha would get a kick out of his name. And he had no intentions of standing out by using a name that could be traced back to his real life. [Select your gender from male, female or neutral] ¡°Male¡± [Best of Best has twenty nine races. You may select your race from the primary twenty-nine races.] ¡®Which race would Sasha pick? Oh that¡¯s right.¡¯ ¡°Which race has a good synergy with the elven race?¡± Once the disease had struck her, Sasha had taken the energy she couldn¡¯t use moving and transferred it into reading about ancient history and mythology. She had constantly pestered him about elves and it was one of the main reasons he was so happy she had gotten the part for the new drama, ¡®Into Darkness¡¯ in which the main heroine was purported to have secretly been an elf. He would rather become something that could complement Sasha rather than hold her down. [The human race has often travelled alongside the elven races and as such the two have developed a friendly relationship with one another.] ¡°Make my avatar a human¡± [Best of Best does not allow alteration of appearance but the user may choose from different styles of clothing.] A male avatar that was naked except for his underwear appeared in front of Commoner and he realised he was looking at himself. ¡®Wait, I can¡¯t change my appearance?¡¯ His face immediately dropped its curiosity and was replaced with a look of horror. He had wanted to change his face at all costs. If any users recognised him in game it would immediately cause a host of problems. First his millions of fans would flock to his location and he would never be left alone, when he logged out people would mark his location and camp there until he had logged on and then they would follow him around until he logged off again, waiting for the next day. Worst still, his manager had been pushing him for several months to make an account on Best of Best since the amount of people watching videos relating to the game outweighed any other television program audience and the allure of joining the game to gain fans was incredible. His manager would track his every movement and record them while selling his character¡¯s name to every major guild or organisation inside the game so that they would take him and raise his reputation. It would be his real life all over again. He looked despondently through the clothing options and was surprised to see a large range of clothing from jester clothes to sweatpants. He clicked on a pair of black Velcro pants and a matching shirt and jacket. It didn¡¯t suit most people but he knew that he could make it work. Black would also stick out less. ¡°Do you have any masks?¡± [Masks are available for purchase in game] ¡®That¡¯s something at least.¡¯ Commoner made a mental note to buy a mask as soon as he could when he got into the game. [Your account has been activated. Your stats have been allocated to your avatar automatically you can decide your class at level ten] ¡°Stats?¡± [Stats of the human race are; strength, agility, stamina, vitality, dexterity, intelligence and wisdom. 10 stat points have been allocated to each primary stat.] ¡°Er, alright.¡¯ Commoner wasn¡¯t sure what ¡®stats¡¯ were but he would ask Sasha when he met up with her in game. [Select your starting continent and city.] ¡°Continent of Marcades and capital city Trinim.¡± [Welcome to Best of Best. Would you like to take the tutorial?] ¡®Oh thank god, there¡¯s a tutorial for this thing.¡¯ ¡°I would like to take the tutorial.¡± The stars and darkness blurred and a light pierced through it and encompassed Commoner. He covered his eyes with his arms and when he removed them he was sitting in a grassy plain with the wind blowing lightly through his hair. ¡°Greetings traveller.¡± He turned his body around and was surprised to see a white, faceless being in front of him. It was covered in a white robe the same colour as its skin and it had two pairs of arms. He blanched as his body tripped and he fell onto the ground. Moving his body felt incredibly strange. He realised the voice had spoken into his mind and looked at the creature. It seemed to be gazing at him with its head although he couldn¡¯t tell for sure because it didn¡¯t have any eyes that he could see. ¡°Do not try to move so quickly human. I am an angel, Pheltos. Would you allow me the pleasure of knowing your name?¡±
Try talking to Pheltos.
A message box appeared in front of Commoner and he moved his mouth. No words came out and he looked confused for a second. He tried to move his mouth again and found that it moved but no words were coming out. ¡®Think Andross, what did the guys say about BoB?¡¯ His friends had often talked about their adventures in Best of Best during class. They had mentioned something about how weird it was that instead of talking they had to think of the words they were going to say. ¡°I AM ANDROSS.¡± He tried to concentrate on what he wanted to say and suddenly found his voice echoing across the plains as he shouted the words out loud. He shuffled uncomfortably perhaps he had been concentrating too hard on the words. ¡°Wait, I¡¯m Commoner.¡± The angel, Pheltos, appeared to be completely unaffected by his outburst and started moving across the grassy plain. A small arrow had appeared on top of its head and stayed there as it moved. ¡°Move alongside me human. We¡¯ll go to our next destination.¡±
Walk alongside Pheltos to the next destination.
Commoner moved his legs the same way he talked, he concentrated on the moving and he found that they moved. After a few seconds it was as though he had known how to walk all his life and he barely had to concentrate on his legs. Pheltos moved to the side and revealed a small creature on the grass in front of him. It was made of several gnarled tree roots and its legs and arms were made of twigs, it was about the size of a large rabbit. ¡°This is a baby treant. The creature has been tainted by darkness and must be freed of its suffering or else it will forever haunt the plains and prey on innocent travellers and animals. Please slay it traveller, so that we may move across the plains.¡±
You have gained the beginner¡¯s sword.
A sword appeared in his hand. A message appeared asking him if he wanted to equip it and he accepted.
You have equipped the beginner¡¯s sword.
Slay the baby treant.
He moved towards the small creature and it leapt towards him in an attack, he moved the side and elegantly dodged it and as it passed the side of his body he slashed it in half. ¡®The poor thing probably didn¡¯t even see it coming.¡¯
Critical hit. +150% damage.
Darkness swirled around the creature¡¯s body and exited the monster¡¯s roots by floating into the sky and disappearing. Commoner and the angel watched as it poofed into thin air. ¡°Congratulations traveller, you have freed the creature from the darkness that ensnared it. This darkness has ensnared most of the creatures in the world of Anteus and it has caused them to attack even the most innocent of travellers.¡± Anteus. That was the name of the world that the game Best of Best was set in. The continent of Marcades was only one of ten continents if he remembered correctly. Each one had its own history and lore to it but only three had currently been explored in the months the game had been out. Even as he played this tutorial Commoner knew that millions more were exploring the frontier and expanding the maps of the world. ¡°The creature appears to have dropped something.¡± He looked up at the angel and saw that it was pointing its four hands at the spot where the creature had been. Its body had disappeared but in its place was a small stone. He walked up to the stone and picked it up.
You have picked up the item: stone. Stats: This item does not add to your current stats. Weight: 0.30kg Description: A slightly heavy stone that was dropped by a treant.
The stone disappeared from his hand and he looked around to see where it had gone. A message popped up in front of him with instructions on how to open his inventory and sure enough when he checked inside the stone was there. ¡°Congratulations traveller,¡± he looked at Pheltos, ¡°you have completed the tutorial for Best of Best. Now you will be sent to your starting city, we wish you good luck in competing with your peers to become one of the greatest of warriors in the land.¡± The grassy plains blurred and Commoner was plunged into darkness. Since it seemed like the transfer from tutorial to game would take a few seconds he allowed himself to relax and think. ¡®Greatest warriors in the land?¡¯ That¡¯s right. His friends had mentioned something like that as well. According to the lore of the world of Anteus, the world had once been swamped in darkness and the races of the world had been enslaved and treated cruelly by the monsters of the world. It had been a dark and terrible time of the world, but out of these oppressed races came twenty nine warriors of pure heart and tremendous strength. They drove back the darkness and monsters and eventually united their races in peace so they could concentrate on driving back the forces of darkness. The heroes had long died but their legacy lived on. TriForce had announced early on in Best of Best¡¯s history that the twenty nine titles held by these warriors were available as job classes, but only to those that proved themselves worthy of holding the title of someone who could lead an entire race. ¡®Well, something like that. I really have to listen more when my friends talk about this stuff.¡¯ Commoner had no idea how to obtain these titles but he didn¡¯t particularly care, he was only joining so that he could play with Sasha. He looked around and realised that he had already been dropped into the city of Trinim. He quickly lifted a hand above his forehead and hoped that the game would cast a shadow over his face to hide it. He was in some sort of city square. He looked around and after a few minutes a familiar head of blonde hair appeared in front of him. ¡°You made it!¡± She hugged him and he looked at her bemused, she hadn¡¯t realised that he had finished a long time before she had. ¡°Shall we go, mademoiselle?¡± He lifted his arm for her to hang onto it and then re-thought it. She had no need for his support in this world. She looked at him with a smile and he tensed. It wasn¡¯t a happy smile. ¡°To be honest I tricked you Gold.¡± She grabbed his hand and led him to a less crowded area of the city square. He looked at her and he could tell that she was seeing the confusion in his eyes. ¡°Okay sure, it¡¯s good to get me walking. Don¡¯t get me wrong, I love being able to move without immediately getting tired and its awesome¡± He nodded at her words and she continued, ¡°But that¡¯s not the reason I brought you here.¡± Before he could ask what she meant she took his hand off of his forehead, ¡°This! This is why I brought you here. I see the way you look at me in pain every time you see me cough a little but you never see me looking at you while you¡¯re in pain every day of your life! Always hiding your face and never getting intimate with anyone except me because you¡¯re so famous that you¡¯re afraid that they¡¯re just getting to know you because of what you are and not who you are. Well this is it Gold!¡± She waved her hands around her. ¡°This is a whole new world, one where nobody knows who you are yet, you have a chance to re-do yourself. You don¡¯t need to be with me the whole time. Go and make new friends! Go and enjoy yourself being who you are, not the actor whose face is plastered across every magazine, be the guy that I know. That kind and lovely guy that looks after me every day and goes out of his way to make sure that I¡¯m smiling even when he¡¯s not.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need to re-do myself.¡± He looked at her and moved his hand on her shoulder but she swatted it away. ¡°Please,¡± she gazed into his eyes, ¡°I don¡¯t want you to do this for me. I want you to do this for yourself.¡± Commoner sighed. He had seen this look in Sasha¡¯s eyes before. She wouldn¡¯t accept no for an answer. He nodded his head and she smiled, then she ran off into the crowd and before he could follow her she was gone. He thought to himself, ¡®Be myself and make friends?¡¯ Before he had realised it a large smile had spread across his face. Maybe this would be more fun than he thought. Chapter 2: Shadow Mask Proofread by Mekkity! Thanks! ¡®Make friends, be myself?¡¯ Commoner knelt down on top of a rock in the city park in the same pose as the Thinker while contemplating the last words Sasha had said to him before she left. She hadn¡¯t told him her avatar¡¯s name so he couldn¡¯t contact her through private message or add her as a friend. She hadn¡¯t specified what she meant by make friends either, he had friends in his class. Sure they didn¡¯t go out much, or at all or hang out. But he still considered them to be friends. ¡®What did she mean?¡¯ ¡°When you¡¯re worried about something or not sure how to go about it, the first thing you have to do is just give it a go.¡± For some reason the words of his acting instructor popped into his mind. The balding, middle-aged man had always given Andross good advice and it made sense that as Commoner he could take full advantage of it. The advice which had guided him through his career would now serve him in this new world. *Growl*
Satiety -5%. Total Satiety -45%
¡®But first I have to find somewhere to eat.¡¯ He stretched his arms into the air as he stood up and quickly covered his face. He hadn¡¯t found a mask yet and he wasn¡¯t na?ve enough to think that nobody would recognise him. He had tried looking in stores for masks right after Sasha had left but since they were an accessory that gave stat boosts they were all out of his price range. Suddenly he noticed a peculiarity on the floor. The dirt was oddly textured in some parts. He reached down to pick at the odd texture and found himself holding an old handkerchief which had long turned into the same colour as the ground on which it lay.
You have picked up item: rag. Description: A rag which was dropped on the floor by an inhabitant of the city. This item will not lead into any quests.
¡®This item will not lead into any quests.¡¯ Commoner looked at the message on the screen perplexed. Then he remembered a conversation his friends had once had in class. They had mentioned that one of the interesting features of Best of Best was that every item you picked up would tell you if it would be necessary to activate a quest or had a chance to lead to the activation of a quest. Of course, they had complained, the items themselves did not always tell the player how they affected a quest or which quest they affected so for all the user knew the quest could be on the other side of the continent. Picking up a quest item was the cause of much sorrow for a player because they would either have to fill their limited inventory with the item or else drop a potentially profitable object. ¡®This quest system seems interesting.¡¯ Andross had gone on numerous quests before. But those had all been in movies and television series. Commoner looked at the message for a second longer and guessed that these quests would be the same as they were in his acting jobs. He grabbed both sides of the rag and wrapped it around his forehead so that the cloth formed a triangle that just barely covered his eyes brows and the sides of the cloth fully covered his ears. He had learnt from years of wearing disguises that if his ears and eyebrows were covered there was only a slim chance that he could be distinguished from any other black haired, hazel eyed guy.
You have equipped item: rag
He walked over to a bird pond that lay near him and stared at his reflection. After adjusting the rag a tiny bit he nodded to himself and gave his image a wink. He walked down the north side of the city square. While looking for masks he had traversed down all the major streets, one for north, south, east and west, and found a restaurant that was cheap enough for beginners to eat there with the limited funds they were given. ¡°Inventory: Money.¡±
You have cash: 50C
Like all new players he had been given fifty coppers to spend. As far as he was aware there were three types of currency in the world, copper, silver and gold coins. The money system was simple, a hundred copper coins equaled one silver coin and a hundred silver coins equaled one gold coin. Commoner stood in front of the restaurant, aptly named The Beginners Joint, and stared at the rusty metal door that looked it might unhinge and run a metal splinter through his body if he touched it. The wall of the establishment wasn¡¯t much better with the motley yellow paint job peeling so badly that half the wall had already reverted to a gray colour due to some sort of adhesive being put behind the paint. ¡®I guess they can¡¯t afford to be aesthetically pleasing.¡± He sighed and pushed the doors forward. He walked into a surprisingly pleasant room with several players sitting around wooden tables and laughing as they drunk and ate. A waitress was rushing between tables to take orders from and to the customers. A derelict piano lay on the corner of the room and next to it was a brick chimney that was holding a hearty fire roaring within its jaws. If not for the lack of music and a slight stale smell in the air he wouldn¡¯t have believed that the building he had entered was the one he had seen from outside. He pulled up a chair and sat alone at the back of the room. The piano was within arm¡¯s reach just as he had intended it to be. He had always had an affinity for any type of musical instrument and he was also known to sing a pretty tune once in a while if the producers of the film paid him enough. It wasn¡¯t long before the waitress came up to take his order. ¡®What can I get for you today?¡± She was a pretty girl with fair hair curled into twin tails at the sides of her head. He couldn¡¯t tell whether she was a computerised person or user but he had decided that he would treat both types of people the same way. He flashed his award winning smile at her and she returned it with a smile of her own. ¡°I¡¯ll take the steak and chips.¡± As expected of a cheap restaurant, they had the sorts of foods you would buy in any old eatery. The Marcades is a landlocked continent so all cattle wrought meats were available for cheap prices whereas any type of fish cost far more than its weight in gold. The steak and chips were put in front of him along with some extra onions and salt added to the mix. The waitress left him with a wink and he flashed another smile at her for the extra serving. As he ate his satiety bar filled to full and he could physically feel his stomach bloating. He sighed in contentment and checked the time using the menu clock. He had spent a good four hours lounging around since the end of the tutorial and since the time pace was 4:1 in the game that meant that only one hour had passed in real life. ¡®I¡¯m going to have to talk to Sasha about this afterwards.¡¯ He hadn¡¯t been willing to admit it at first, but in the four hours that he had been thinking about Sasha¡¯s words to him, he had slowly come around to the idea of starting a new life in a world where he was unknown. Just like his name suggested, he had become a commoner just like any other person and he was enjoying every minute of it. It was a weekend so he would be safe to play the game as much as he wanted. Even if he didn¡¯t come home he doubted his parents or sister would notice. They were out most days and he had stayed over at Sasha¡¯s for weeks on end without them noticing his absence. He was a hundred percent sure that Sasha would let him stay over for as long as he needed. Her double king sized bed was surprisingly snug once you got used to the unnecessarily large proportions of it. ¡®Hey you.¡¯ A man wearing a cowboy hat and sporting the biggest horseshoe moustache Commoner had ever seen approached his table. With a squashed, pudgy nose and dull brown eyes the moustache added a little bit of class to his otherwise plain face. Commoner casually waved his hand at the man and greeted him. ¡®How can I help you?¡¯ ¡®I see that yous the kind of man dit knows his way round a piano.¡¯ Commoner had encountered so many promoters and managers in his life that he knew instantly what the man was trying to say. He had seen Commoner looking at the piano with the eyes of someone that knew how to play it. ¡®Would I be correct in assuming that you are the owner of this fine establishment?¡¯ The man tipped his hat towards Commoner, ¡°T. j. Barnacus at yer service.¡± He pointed at the piano, ¡°I used to play this little beauty meself but the old fingers just ain¡¯t what they used ta be. How about you play us a little tune?¡± Commoner hesitated, he normally asked to be paid before he played the piano unless it was a social or informal occasion. He looked around at the various players that were either too busy flipping coins into the air or eating to care about him. ¡®I guess this is as informal as it gets.¡¯ He nodded and the man grinned, the bars of his moustache leapt into the air at the gesture. He put his fingers and played the first tune that came to his head. It wasn¡¯t the sort of gay jingle with jumpy rhythm you would expect to be played in this sort of establishment. It was a slow tune, it started softly with a hint of sadness then slowly quickened in pace and became a song of both sorrow and hope, finally, the hope overtook the sorrow and the piano slowed again but this time the air filled with the sound of happiness. He finished and found that T. J Barnacus was looking at him with watery eyes. The patrons at the tables and even the waitress were staring at him. ¡°That der was the most beautiful tune this ol¡¯ man had ever heard played on that there piano.¡± To his surprise Barnacus immediately swept him into a big hug and a slow clap began, starting with the waitress and slowly spreading to the other customers, users and computer generated people alike were clapping his performance and calling for beers to celebrate. ¡°What¡¯s the name of dat there song?¡± The owner exited the hug and Commoner looked in surprise at Barnacus, the man seemed to be switching his accent and words in places. It was like he was a bad actor that was trying to pretend to be something when he had never heard the genuine article. He was clearly one of those computer generated people, his friends had called them NPC¡¯s, but it wasn¡¯t Commoners place to make a comment about the accent. He smiled at the teary eyed man in front of him. ¡°The name of the song is My True Self.¡± ¡°My True Self.¡± T. J Barnacus exhaled a breath full of emotion as he repeated Commoners words. ¡°Tell me lad.¡± He looked at Commoner, ¡°how would you like to work at our fine establishment?¡±
You have been offered a job: The Beginner¡¯s Joint Pianist. Stat Increase: None, Pay: 1 silver a song.
Commoner glanced at the window that popped up in front of him but kept his gaze firmly on the owners face. ¡°When facing a potential job you never, ever look away from the employers face.¡± The words of his acting instructor once again resounded in his mind and he shook his head at the owner. The man¡¯s moustache looked as sorrowful as his face did. Jobs on Best of Best were a dime a dozen. Although classes were only available at level 10, jobs were available from the beginning and even though a silver coin a song seemed like a good deal it was simply a trap for young and inexperienced players to enter into. Once they accepted the job they would find it difficult to leave and even if they did they wouldn¡¯t be able to branch off into any other meaningful jobs without raising their level like everybody else. Effectively it was a dead end job that would just waste his time if he accepted it. ¡°I¡¯m sorry good sir, but I have many other adventures to be held and much more of the world to explore. Perhaps once I am done I can come back here to join you?¡± Commoner left the question hanging in the air and Barnacus wiped his eyes. ¡®I understand lad, I was an adventurer once upon a time meself. There will always be a place for you in my fine restaurant.¡± He lifted something out of his pocket and pressed it into Commoners hands, ¡°Dis is something from my old adventuring days. It belonged to a pal of mine and that piano belonged to him. He would be more than glad for a sprity yung¡¯n like you to have it.¡± Commoner thanked him. He still couldn¡¯t place what kind of accent the man was trying to maintain, it sounded like a mix between old man and country or seaside native. A window popped up.
You have received the item: Shadow¡¯s Symbol. Stats: None, Weight: 0.01kg, Description: An old symbol belonging to the mercenary Shadow. This item will lead to a quest.
¡®A quest item!¡¯ He thanked the owner and left hurriedly. His makeshift bandana would easily fool people that weren¡¯t looking closely but under the close scrutiny of the players wanting to know who this mysterious pianist was it wouldn¡¯t disguise him for long. He looked around and saw that the street was fairly empty. It wouldn¡¯t surprise him if Sasha had chosen a sparsely populated city so that he could walk around freely and with less chance of being discovered. ¡®So you¡¯re the new recipient of Shadow¡¯s Symbol.¡¯ A voice called out to him and he turned his head to face the new arrival. A figure cloaked in black was approaching him from the city square and from the actions of the people around it he realised they couldn¡¯t see it. Not only that, just like the angel Pheltos from the tutorial the cloaked figure was speaking directly into his mind. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡®Rather than questioning who I am, should you not be helping him?¡¯ ¡°Him? Who do you mean?¡¯ The cloaked figure lifted his hands towards Commoner and he was assaulted by images. A man wearing a black mask was being assaulted by baby treants outside of the city boundaries. He wasn¡¯t sure how he knew where the person was but he could picture the location clearly in his mind and when he thought about it the directions popped up instantly in his head. When the images disappeared and his eyes cleared the cloaked figure was gone. Although he hadn¡¯t been given a quest he could sense that there was a time limit in how long he could wait before the man he saw died. He looked towards the northern gate of the city where just beyond the man was being assaulted in a secluded spot by the baby treants. ¡®Status window open¡¯ He simply had to think the words in his mind for the status window to pop up in front of him.
Status Screen
NameCommonerLevel1
Health100Mana100
Free Stat Points0Stamina10
Strength10Agility10
Vitality10Dexterity10
Intelligence10Wisdom10
Despite all that had happened in the five hours he¡¯d been online he was still level one. He couldn¡¯t even be sure that the baby treants were at the same level as the one in the tutorial. He had also had a sword back then. He looked around him and saw no swords lying around on the floor. ¡®I could try fighting them barehanded.¡¯ His parents had made him spend years training in martial arts both bare handed and weapon oriented so that he could do his own stunts during films. He had taken to the various styles like a fish in water and as a result of doing his own stunts his reputation had soared during his early career days. But the monsters of Best of Best were different to real life hooligans. It was possible that his skills weren¡¯t as strong and his hits as powerful as they were in real life. The critical hit with the sword had simply been his proficiency with weapons at work. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Although the timer in his mind wasn¡¯t telling him the exact seconds he had left he sensed that he had about fifteen minutes until the man died under the assault. It would take him five minutes to reach the man and that left him ten minutes to find some sort of weapon. ¡®Maybe I could ask someone around here.¡¯ He shook his head as soon as the thought entered his mind. It was more than unlikely that a player would give a beginner a weapon for free and after eating he didn¡¯t have any money left. He could get a weapon and even team members if he revealed who he was but he was avoiding that route at all costs. ¡®I¡¯ll have to think of something on the way there.¡¯ He ran towards the north gate and the guards barely glanced at him as he passed by, there was no level restriction in going outside since you were considered responsible for your own life. Now that he thought about it, that was one of the other strange features his friends had mentioned. A player was given 10 ¡®free¡¯ deaths in which there were no penalties incurred for dying. However, like the items stating whether or not they would pertain to a quest this was another double edged sword. In Best of Best the number times a player has died is recorded and displayed for all NPC¡¯s to see. Based on this statistic an NPC would be able to decide whether or not they wanted to give a quest to a player or whether they deemed them ¡®unsuitable¡¯ for the quest because they had died too many times. Even the high end quests that had been discovered had been affected by this death counter and so many people were in a hurry to avoid the same problems as the first generation of players who had simply gone into dangerous situations without fear and died, only to find they could no longer continue quests or gain access to new quests. I lowered my hand towards the ground as the baby treants came into my sight. I picked up a lengthy stick with my hand.
You picked up the item: Stick. Stats: +1 damage, Weight: 0.3kg, Description: A stick which was lying on the ground until you picked it up. It does not lead into any quests.
¡®It¡¯ll have to do.¡¯ A good point about the message system was that the words changed constantly when you picked up items. It added a sense of novelty and originality to the messages you were given, instead of the usual gaming messages that simply repeated the same lines over and over. He stared at the baby treants. They were completely occupied in attacking the helpless man on the ground. He hadn¡¯t had the chance to examine their attack pattern during the tutorial but he could see that the roots that made up their bodies were elongating and stabbing at the man¡¯s body every two seconds. Commoner looked at the first treant as he ran towards it and once the monster struck the dying man he quickly darted in slashed at it with the stick. It bounced backwards but the roots had reverberated and most of the damage had dissipated before the baby treant could be seriously injured. He peeked to his side but the other two creatures were still attacking the man. The timer in Commoners mind had gone backwards and was telling him that he had another twenty minutes to save the man. Clearly his interference had bought him much need time. *Gatcha*
Gatcha! You have been hit by a tree root. Health -5. Current Health: 95/100
The message window spoke out to him and introduced itself with the same squeal that the treant had made when attacking him. During battle it would speak to the player rather than pop up in front of him since it could block their view of important movements. Two seconds passed and he jumped to the side to avoid the roots. It was a simple pattern, he would dodge the attack and dart in to hit the treant a couple of times and right before the two seconds were up he would jump back and step to the side to avoid being hit in the counterattack. *Gatchi~ gatchi~* The monsters death cries rung out in his ears and the darkness inside it dissipated into the air like it had in the tutorial.
Gatchi! You have slain a baby treant. Exp: 10% Total Exp until next level: 90%
Another difference between Best of Best and other virtual reality games was that the messages delivered to player dictated the amount of experience gained in terms of percentage in its default setting. This could be changed to numbers if the player wanted it that way or the user could simply open up his status window to see the total number of exp points until the next level. Commoner turned towards the next baby treant and repeated the same process. The mental timer wasn¡¯t a problem anymore as he knew he would finish a long time before it ran out. He readied his stick and struck the creature. He dodged its attack and the intricate dance of death began once again between the monster and the human. *Gatchi~* The death cry of the final treant echoed in the air and it disappeared to follow in the footsteps of its two fallen brothers. Commoner stared at the man on the floor, he didn¡¯t look like anyone important and he couldn¡¯t have been terribly strong if he hadn¡¯t been able to fight off a few baby treants that even a level one could handle. As if sensing his stare on his back the man groaned and turned over. Blood was trickling down his chest from a hole in his heart. It pooled onto the grass and next to the blood was the same black mask that Commoner had seen in the vision. ¡®Well that explains why he couldn¡¯t fight the monsters.¡¯ Despite the rather brutal scene in front of him Commoner stayed in a calm state of mind. As Andross he had once seen a stunt man brutally mutilated in front of him as a scene involving a wood chipper went horribly wrong. He had been disturbed for several weeks and production of the film had been forced to halt because of his conduct. Since then he had been forced to accept that terrible injuries were an inevitable thing in the world and he watched videos of several horrific injuries so that the next time he saw one in front of him he would be able to keep a calm composure. The man coughed and blood spurted out of his mouth and wound. ¡°So, the shade has sent you to me. That must mean that you carry my symbol.¡± ¡®Shade? Does he mean that figure cloaked in black? So this is Shadow.¡¯ Commoner nodded and Shadow gestured for him to come closer. Commoner knelt down next to the man and leant towards him to hear his words clearly. He placed his stick into his inventory. ¡°I am dying. As the man chosen by the shade would you please hear this old man¡¯s story?¡± Commoner nodded wordlessly. He had experienced this very same scenario countless time while doing historical dramas and even action movies. Except the man in front of him sounded more genuine than even the greatest of co-stars he had acted alongside. ¡°I thank you. My story,¡± he coughed some more blood out and his hands gripped tightly on the Velcro shirt Commoner was wearing, ¡°Begins like any other, myself and two of my closest friends set out to find adventure in the great world of Anteus. We had dreams, big ones, we would become mercenaries and explore the world while slaying monsters.¡± He coughed out more blood but his mouth broke out into a smile, ¡°Those were good times, the three of us slew monsters and slowly got stronger. We gained a reputation we did, we were invited to more dangerous tasks and we flew into the new fights offered to us, revelled in the challenges that seemed beyond our abilities to complete. We were three country bumpkins, seeing the world through the eyes of adventure and falling in love with the open plains. It was around that time that the three of us received those things.¡± He pointed weakly towards the black mask lying on the floor, ¡°The masks of the mercenary kings, known as the Seven Masks, out of seven available spots we had been offered over half of them. One of us, young Barnacus, left us to open up a restaurant and handed his position to a successor. I gave him the symbol you have on you as a token of our friendship. It was just me and him left to travel down the path of the mercenary,¡± Spittle filled with blood filled the air as Shadow practically spat out the word ¡®him¡¯ with such venom that Commoner was drawn aback, ¡°We were renowned across the world as the two strongest mercenary kings, the pinnacle of the Seven Masks. But I can see now that it was not meant to be. We-we had been commissioned to take down a legendary monster hidden deep within the Sylvern mountain range,¡± Commoner looked over his shoulder and saw in the distance several mountains that touched the skies, ¡°But just as we entered the final stages of killing the monster the bastard betrayed me, stabbed me in the chest. Using magics I had learnt in my adventures I escaped but I am afraid I was never going to make it very far with this injury. I can only praise the powers above that someone was here in my final moments to listen to me.¡± Shadow coughed out more blood. ¡°Traveller I beseech you, carry on my legacy. Be my successor and take revenge on the Devil Mask mercenary king.¡±
You have been offered the Hidden Class: Shadow Mask Mercenary King. Do you wish to accept?
¡°I will not.¡± The dying Shadow looked up in confusion at Commoners face. ¡°Perhaps you do not understand. Should you accept my legacy, you will have access to fame and riches beyond your imagination, if you so wish your name could be feared or loved across the entire world. Accept my offer and take revenge on the Devil Mask mercenary king.¡±
You have been offered the Hidden Class: Shadow Mask Mercenary King. Do you wish to accept?
¡°I would be honoured, but I am afraid I am not fit for the immensity of this task.¡± He put on the humblest and most pious face he could muster, one that had made countless woman swoon over him and coo over his innocence. He acted humble but in truth he under no circumstances wanted to accept a Hidden Class from this stranger. Every single Hidden Class that was unlocked was automatically registered in the Best of Best website for all to see, this was in order for users to know who their competitors for the top spots were. People would not be able to see who unlocked the class but they could see where he had unlocked it and would search until they had found him. If the fame and reputation that came with such a tremendous class was real then he could not afford to take it for fear of his face becoming known. He would also be hunted down by players wishing to test the power of his hidden class since all those that obtained these difficult to obtain classes were considered to be instant contenders for one of the twenty nine warrior titles that the Best of Best game revolved around. His friends had often commented on the subject of hidden classes and the repercussion of obtaining one. ¡°I understand.¡± Clearly even the weathered mercenary was not immune to the charms of Commoners acting, ¡°I will leave you be, but I have but one last thing to say.¡± Commoner waited patiently as the man groaned and spat more blood onto the floor. The timer in his mind indicated the man had no more than two minutes to live. ¡°You are trying to hide your face are you not? Do not try to deny it. I have seen people like you many a time before.¡± He grasped the black mask with a dying hand and handed it to Commoner, ¡°It is yours to take. You deserve at least this much for hearing this dying man¡¯s final story.¡± Commoner grasped the man¡¯s hand as he took the mask but they had already gone limp. Shadow had passed away. His body slowly disappeared. Commoner could swear that in his final moments the man had had a smile on his face. ¡®And the hidden class passes away with him.¡¯ Commoner looked at the black mask in his hand. It looked like something you would find in an oriental market. It had a pair of devil horns peeking out from its forehead and its mouth was stylised so that the black lips were creased menacingly. It was pretty plain, all things considered, but it would do while he was walking around the city. It also matched his black Velcro clothes. He took the rag off of his forehead and put the mask over his face, tying the strings on its sides into a knot behind his head.
You have converted class to Hidden Class: Shadow Mask Mercenary King. Class change is not optional. +2000 fame, +30 strength, +20 agility, Gained command of the Shadow Mask Mercenary Troops.
You have equipped item: Shadow Mask: All stats + 30. Weight: 0.1kg. Description: The mask passed down from a shadow mercenary king to his successor. It is part of an ancient tradition and magic long ago imbued in the mask grants its wearer a tremendous boost in abilities. This item leads into a quest.
You have unlocked the A ranked quest: Kill the Devil Mask mercenary king.
You have gained the skill Shadow Strike.
You have gained the skill Weapon Mastery.
You have gained the skill Hide.
You have gained the skill Quick Strike.
You have gained the skill Shadow Strengthening.
You may now receive job commissions as a mercenary.
Commoner stared in horror at the messages popping in front of him one after the other. He had gained stat boosts which made him far beyond over powered and a large amount of skills. He had also gained two thousand fame against his will. At the very least he knew that his friends had celebrated at even gaining ten fame per month. Since he had gained two hundred times that it stood to reason that his name would have instantly swept across the entire game. Not just because of the high amount of fame but also because of the short amount of time in which he received it. Speaking of which, this ¡®fame¡¯ stat hadn¡¯t been on his original stat window. Perhaps he would have to unlock various stats to get them to show in the future. Commoner could judge from what Shadow had said that the mercenaries of the continent would instantly be notified that there was a new Shadow Mask mercenary king and would send people to investigate. They would send players to investigate. Even worse, his friends had mentioned that most major guilds would start scouring every nook and cranny for hidden class players to recruit them. Not to mention the unrelated players that would simply hunt him down to see who had gained the new hidden class that granted so much fame. ¡®The damn old man tricked me.¡¯ Not only had Commoner been fooled into accepting the hidden class. He had been out acted by an old man. Shadow had used even his final moments to complete his act. From the moment the man had died smiling Commoner felt that he should have seen the trap coming but he had already let down his guard. ¡®Sasha is going to kill me.¡¯ ¡°So yer the new owner of the Shadow Mask.¡± The ground crunched under the weight of the newcomer¡¯s boots and Commoner turned to face him. He was facing the owner of ¡®The Beginner¡¯s Joint¡¯ restaurant. T. J Barnacus. Chapter 3: Whats bigger than a gromp? ¡°You knew when you gave me that symbol that the shade, or whatever that thing was, would take me to Shadow and make me the next Shadow Mask mercenary king.¡± Commoner lifted himself off the ground and gazed angrily at T. J Barnacus. Although he knew that the mask covered his expression he could see that the restaurant owner had stepped back from the sheer pressure he was emitting. The man gazed sadly at Commoners face. At the mask he was wearing. It took a moment for Commoner to realise what the man was thinking. ¡°You didn¡¯t think he would die so soon.¡± ¡°Yer right about dat lad. What man would expect their best friend ta die only minutes after he had passed on his legacy to a stranger that played a piano nicely. No less would I expect Shadow to die, he were the second strongest man I ever known after the Devil Mask mercenary king.¡± He ran his hands through his beard miserably. ¡°But I stopped believing in coincidences a long time ago lad. It was no lucky chance that you met me. From the moment you walked into my fine restaurant I could tell you was the right kind of man right to become the next mercenary king. A swagger in yer steps, finely crafted muscles which you would have to be blind to not see, you oozed the confidence I had only seen from kings and knights and better yet,¡± he pointed towards Commoner¡¯s face, ¡°yer a man with something to hide. No, I do not want ta know what yer secret is. Do not take the work of a mercenary lightly. Ya will always have secrets to hide in yer line of work and to have one that requires ya to hide yer own face will get you prepared for the future. Either you truly are some king or prince from another land or yer a man with a secret so terrible that ya must hide from the world.¡± Commoner¡¯s eyes widened slightly at the man¡¯s words. Not only Shadow but now Barnacus had seen through his intentions and determined that he had something to hide. Andross took pride in his acting skills that had been recognised across the world but now two people in the space of an hour had seen through Commoner¡¯s hiding act from the moment they had met. ¡°Yer looked surprised lad, don¡¯t be. Tis a mercenaries job to be able to read people from the moment they see them. To be able to tell who is lying or planning to betray ya, or ta see who¡¯s the easy sucker that¡¯s panicking enough ta pay you more than their offering. I¡¯ve had years of experience meeting with kings and nobles wanting the dirty jobs, the biggest liars of all have come to me at one time or another. Now I suppose yer wondering what ta do now that the position of king is yours.¡± Commoner lightly touched the side of the mask, ¡°What I¡¯m wondering is how much money it takes to change my class to something else.¡± His friends had mentioned that class changes were a common occurrence. If somebody hadn¡¯t liked their class they could simply pay a fee and change it. They would have to start over from the beginning but they would keep their current levels at the least. But the voice he had heard when making his avatar had stated that he would have to be level ten before he could get a class and he was currently level one. ¡°Get rid of it?¡± Barnacus¡¯ moustache twirled in surprise, ¡°Yer want to give up one of the mercenary king positions? Have ya any idea how grand this is for ya life, people have razed entire countries for less power than this position gives ya. Even now your name is spreading across the entire country, fame and fortune will be yers to command if ya play yer cards right.¡± Commoner glared at him and he sighed, ¡°So yer secret¡¯s that big is it? Something that not even being a mercenary king can fix, nay, from the way yer bodies moving I can see that being in the spotlight is only worse for ya. Well bad news kid, yer can¡¯t just stop being a mercenary king the ordinary way.¡± ¡°But you do know how I can get rid of this class?¡± Barnacus stroked his moustache slowly. He was clearly troubled by this unexpected turn of events. He had clearly been expecting Commoner to be jumping for joy when he turned up. ¡°A true mercenary king will only cease ta be a king if he hands his mask to a successor. If ya find someone that ya accept to take over your position then ya can make them the new owner of the Shadow Mask.¡± ¡®Great, I¡¯ll just hand it to the next NPC I see.¡± Commoner smiled behind the mask at the simplicity of the answer. ¡°Don¡¯t be a fool boy. I said only a true mercenary king can choose a successor to replace him, a king that has both proven his worth and unlocked the real powers of the mask he wears. For the record, you haven¡¯t even unlocked a tenth of the masks true powers.¡± Suddenly the man¡¯s accent was gone and an angry aura surrounded him. It was not the same pressure that Commoner had been exuding throughout the conversation. This was the real deal, a force that could only be projected by a man that had gone through battles of life and death. It was Commoners turn to step back as he felt a tremor of fear crawl down his spine. ¡°So how do I unlock these powers?¡± Barnacus immediately broke into a smile and the murderous aura that had been seeping out of him disappeared, ¡°I¡¯m glad ya asked. In the ancient times of the first mercenary kings all the Masks gathered together and established a safe haven for mercenaries, the mercenary city Kelhter, named after the mercenary god. To formally take yer place among the Seven Mask mercenary kings ye must travel to the inner chambers of the city to meet the mercenary Guardians. They will pass to ye the tests you need ta complete the rite of passage to become a true mercenary king. Only then will ye be able to choose a successor.¡± ¡°Guardians?¡± ¡°They are the strongest of the mercenaries below the mercenary kings. The only way ta become a Guardian is through reputation and strength. Travelling to Kelhter to meet with then is da only option you have.¡±
You have been given the class related quest: Path of the mercenary king. Rank B difficulty. This quest is not optional.
Path of the mercenary king Part 1: To unlock the powers still hidden within the Shadow Mask and pave the way to becoming a person worthy of holding the title of the Shadow Mask Mercenary King the former owner of the Twilight Mask has directed you towards the mercenary city, Kelhter. Meet with the Guardians that preside in the city.
¡®Rank B?¡¯ Commoner gazed at the message screen for around a minute before he closed it. He had also been given a rank ¡®A¡¯ quest but he didn¡¯t know the meaning of these rankings. ¡°Now then boy. Yer gotta get going. I came here ta warn ya that the mercenary kings have already sent their lackeys into the city and the entire place is crawling with people searching for ya. Take these and leave this city.¡± ¡®They¡¯re already here for me?¡¯ Barnacus held out several clothes towards Commoner. Commoner looked at him in surprise and took the items from Barnacus. There was a cloak and gloves. They were more than enough to hide his appearance. Barnacus sighed. ¡°Tell me lad, what¡¯s yer reason for wanting to give up something like this.¡± ¡°I just want to be a normal person.¡± To Commoner¡¯s surprise an honest came out of his mouth before he could think about it and Barnacus placed a hand on his shoulder comfortably. ¡°I know how you feel boy. I too gave up my Mask to pursue my dreams. Power and fame will always fade in comparison to happiness.¡± With these final words Barnacus ran back to the city and left a rather overwhelmed Commoner standing alone.
You equipped the item: Barnacus¡¯ Old hooded cloak. Stats: None, Weight: 0.3kg, Description: An old travelling cloak used to cover the entire body. It was previously owned by T. J Barnacus and has hidden enchantments on it. This item will not lead into a quest.
You have equipped gloves: Stats: None, Weight: 0.025kg, Description: A pair of ordinary gloves. This item is not related to a quest.
¡®Hidden enchantments?¡¯ Commoner¡¯s thoughts were interrupted and his ears perked up as shouts came across the distance. ¡®They¡¯re coming closer. Guess it¡¯s time to go.¡¯ Just like when the shade had told him to find the dying Shadow, the location of the city, Kelhter, popped into his mind when he thought about it. It was approximately one month¡¯s travel away by foot according to the distance his mind told him. Commoner saw that he had already exited through the correct gate and started running towards the location. ¡®That¡¯s too long. I can¡¯t run for a month straight. I certainly can¡¯t hide from hundreds of players for that long either.¡¯ ¡°When you find yourself in an overwhelming situation and you just don¡¯t have the time to think. Stop. And then take the time to think because it will provide infinite more benefits than running around like a headless chicken.¡± Commoner sighed behind his mask as his acting instructors advice whispered into his mind. The situation was as bad as it could be and he had no immediate way of making it easier. He looked up and realised that he was running towards the Sylvern mountain range where Shadow been betrayed by the Devil Mask mercenary king. There was a large forest at the base of the mountains and he turned towards it. Commoner ran into the shade of a tree and sat down. He needed to rest and get a grasp of his situation. ¡®I should at least check what I do have. Status window!¡¯
Status Screen
NameCommonerLevel1
ClassShadow Mask Mercenary KingFame2000
Health700Mana400
Free Stat Points0Stamina10 + 30
Strength40 + 30Agility30 + 30
Vitality10 + 30Dexterity10 + 30
Intelligence10 + 30Wisdom10 + 30
Skills
Shadow StrikeWeapon Mastery
HideQuick Strike
Shadow Strengthening
[p=left]Mercenary Commissions: None[/p]
He had gained several abilities with his class change. ¡®Err, skills.¡¯ He viewed the skill windows that popped up as he ran.
Skill: Shadow Strike. A technique invented by the first Shadow Mask mercenary king. Any shadows in contact with the user will immediately attack nearby enemies, bypassing all armour and dealing true damage. Damage dealt depends on the amount of shadows used in the attack. Damage dealt by your personal shadow: 500. Mana cost: 400. Level 1: 0.00% towards next level.
¡®That will be useful but I can only use it once. Why aren¡¯t there capital letters on the words ¡®mercenary king¡¯ here but there were for my class? Maybe because it¡¯s not a class?¡¯
Skill: Weapon Mastery. Mercenaries have long ago learnt the ability to master any weapon in order to adapt to situations. The user is able to equip any weapon and weapon masteries will unlock depending on the weapon used. Current weapon masteries unlocked: Stick mastery: level 1: 0.05% towards next level.
¡®Stick mastery? Does that mean that sticks are a class of weapons in themselves?¡¯
Skill: Hide. A technique invented by the second Shadow Mask mercenary king. User turns invisible for a short duration. Duration: 5 seconds. Cooldown: five minutes. Level 1: 0.00% towards next level.
¡®A five minute waiting period for a five second skill, what use is that?¡¯
Skill: Quick Strike. A technique invented by the third Shadow Mask mercenary king. It is a strike which has a 90% chance to hit a target before they can perform a technique. The quick strike was invented to complement the ¡®Skill: Hide¡¯ thus when used during or when exiting Hide the damage dealt by this attack is increased 200%. Damage dealt: 100. Mana cost: 100. Level 1: 0.00% towards next level.
Skill: Shadow Strengthening. A technique invented by the fourth Shadow mask Mercenary king. The powers of your shadow will temporarily transfer into your weapon, strengthening it. Dhadow strike may be used while Shadow Strengthening is active. Reinforcement provided by your personal shadow: +30 strength. Duration: 1h. Cooldown: 5 minutes after strengthening has stopped. Level 1: 0.00% towards next level.
¡®Seeing as there are no more skills, the fourth Shadow Mask mercenary king must have been Shadow. Only a five minute cooldown for one hour worth of ability and no mana cost.¡¯ Commoner lifted himself from the tree roots he had been sitting on. It appeared that he had been given the tools to survive confrontations with at least weaker monsters. He wasn¡¯t too sure how strong the monsters in the forest were compared to the baby treants he had fought but with his recent class change he was sure that he could fight most monsters he encountered. He took his stick of the inventory and equipped it. He got a notification that his damage had increased by: +1. ¡®Damage? What is that?¡¯ At his thoughts a window automatically appeared in front of him.
Damage is the amount of harm you inflict on a creatures health points. Damage is increased two times by your strength stat. Current damage: 141
¡®So I¡¯ll be doing a hundred and forty one damage per attack, no, two hundred and one since my shadow strengthening gives my stick +30 strength.¡¯ *Gromp*
Gromp! You have been hit by a wild gromp. Health -50. Current Health: 650/700
Commoner jumped up in pain as something hit his back. He turned around and found himself facing a giant brown toad. Its hands that were thick and wide enough to be called shields and they were raised in front of it as though it were a boxer waiting to punch him. He stepped back and it hopped in front of him. Its bulky arms lashed out at him and hit his side.
Gromp! You have been hit by a wild gromp. Health -50. Current Health: 600/700
¡®Shadow Strengthening.¡¯ Commoner calmly assessed the situation. He had been through many sudden and stressful situations as both Andross Silver and Commoner so the appearance of a random monster didn¡¯t affect him too badly. His stick glowed black and he realized his shadow had disappeared. He stepped forward and stabbed the stick into the gromp. It immediately keeled over and a small dark mist seeped out of its mouth and disappeared into the sky. *Grompchi*
Grompchi! You have slain a gromp! You have gained: 300% of your experience. Experience to next level: 0%
You have levelled up! You have gained 5 free stat points. Current level: 2
You have levelled up! You have gained 5 free stat points. Current level: 3
You have levelled up! You have gained 5 free stat points. Current level: 4
¡®Three levels up!¡¯ The gromp had died in one shot but it had given him a heap of experience. Commoner wasn¡¯t too surprised, his stats clearly made him way stronger than the gromp but his level had still been 1. The gromp had hit him for ten times more damage than the baby treant. ¡®Does that mean it was ten times the level of the baby treants? ¡¯ Commoner looked at the level up screen again and realized that he had gotten ¡®free stat points¡¯. He opened up his status window and saw that each stat except for fame had a ¡®+¡¯ sign next to it. He clicked ten times on strength and five on agility. ¡®Since the class change gave me boosts in these areas I guess that means it¡¯s what I have to level up.¡¯
Status Screen
NameCommonerLevel4
ClassShadow Mask Mercenary KingFame2000
Health800Mana400
Free Stat Points0Stamina10 + 30
Strength50 + 30Agility35 + 30
Vitality10 + 30Dexterity10 + 30
Intelligence10 + 30Wisdom10 + 30
Skills
Shadow StrikeWeapon Mastery
HideQuick Strike
Shadow Strengthening
[p=left]Mercenary Commissions: None[/p]
The trees rustled around him and Commoner looked to his sides. He could see more gromps roaming deeper in the woods. All of his health had regenerated after the level ups and it appeared that he had a natural health regeneration since the damage he had taken from the baby treants had healed before the gromp attacked. ¡®Games are pretty interesting.¡¯ It was Andross¡¯s first time experiencing a game, virtual or not. He of course had played traditional board games but he never had time for anything involving computers or other electronic devices. He was always too busy with his work. ¡®Speaking of work.¡¯ Commoner sighed as he slew some more gromps. The toad monsters were simply roaming harmlessly around the forest and they didn¡¯t attack unless he stood around five feet beside them. He gained five more levels but decided to save the points. He would have to look up mercenaries and stats when he got back to Sasha¡¯s house. She didn¡¯t use computers either but her father had installed an entire room full of computers which he constantly used when he was a break from work. Before he realised it he had already spent up the hour of Shadow Strengthening and he decided to log out. He had spent around eight hours in game and that meant two hours had passed in real life. ¡®How do you get out of here?¡¯ he thought incredibly hard, ¡®Log out!¡¯ To his surprise the world blurred and he blinked. When his eyes opened he found himself face to face with a pair of sky blue eyes. Sasha smirked at him as he stretched his arms out and got out of the capsule. ¡°Wow Gold, I didn¡¯t think you would spend a whole two hours inside there. I came out about an hour and half ago by the way.¡± She flicked her hair casually and stood back to give him space to move. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Andross looked at the smirk on her face and smiled. Her grin widened and she twiddled her hair around her fingers nervously. ¡°Why, if it were possibly for one as humble as I to think presumptuously I would have thought that you rather enjoyed your stay. Perhaps you have a word of thanks to spare for the one that introduced you to such a fascinating object.¡± She had reverted to semi-formal speech. Andross laughed internally at her nervous face. It was cute. ¡°That¡¯s funny,¡± Andross looked down at his naked body which was covered only by the underwear he had worn underneath his clothes before entering the capsule, ¡°I had rather though that staring at my impeccable body was reward enough, or am I being too presumptuous in assuming that one as humble and innocent as yourself was simply staring at mine body whilst I slept?¡± Sasha blushed and wrapped her arms around his arm, ¡°Arrogant is the correct term my prince, one such as I is far too busy to simply stay and stare at your, admittedly, magnificent body. I have spent a full hour making preparations in anticipation of your stay.¡± Andross laughed happily. He hadn¡¯t even needed to tell Sasha that he was intending to stay for the long weekend. She had already gone ahead and decided it herself. ¡°As always, you can read me like a book mademoiselle, but what preparations could possibly be needed for one such as me?¡± This wasn¡¯t idle chit chat on his part. Andross had stayed with Sasha so many times that it was like a second home to him. So the fact that something had been brought in anticipation of his stay made him wonder what it could be. They walked into the room and Andross almost did a double take in surprise at the site that lay before him. Sasha giggled at his reaction. ¡°It took approximately one hour for the various workers to put it up there. Of course,¡± Andross took the reversion back to informal speech as a sign that Sasha was no longer nervouse and gently lay her on top of the double king sized bed. She winked at him, since he had gone into the capsule a large mosaic artwork had been added to the roof, ¡°The traditional artwork of a gold gilded mosaic can only be truly appreciated once you see it from underneath.¡± She ran her hand up Andross¡¯ chest seductively as he slowly wrapped his hands around her, ¡°It requires at least a good half hour of appreciation to fully understand its wonders.¡± Andross smiled. ¡°Then it¡¯s a good thing we¡¯ve got a whole weekend.¡± ~~~~ ¡°So you¡¯re the new mercenary king?¡± Sasha was staring wide eyed at Andross as he explained what had happened to him in his time in the game. They were sitting in her father¡¯s computer room and waiting for the PC¡¯s to turn on. Andross noted that Sasha seemed as fresh as a daisy. ¡®Sometimes I wonder how exhausted she really feels.¡¯ ¡°Geez Gold, your first time in a game and you¡¯re already king in the first few hours. I think you must have been a saint in your previous life and this ridiculous luck is your reward.¡± Andross waited patiently for Sasha to make a comment about how he had already drawn attention to himself, ¡°I¡¯m not angry by the way, I can tell your thinking it. But as long as nobody knows who you are it¡¯s fine. And from what you said it seems like you¡¯ve had a lot of fun so far.¡± Andross looked at her disbelievingly and she rolled her eyes, ¡°It¡¯s not like you have to ask my permission before doing anything.¡± ¡°And you?¡± Andross was curious. She had only spent a couple of hours inside the game, a mere thirty minutes in real life time, so she couldn¡¯t have done much. ¡°Oh well, some people recognised me and invited me to their party,¡± She sheepishly played around with the computer in front of her while trying to avoid Andross¡¯ eyes, ¡°I levelled up quite a few times in the two hours I was there but most of them had to leave so I logged off as well.¡± Andross smiled at the guilty look at her face. ¡°Oh, the betrayal!¡± He suddenly swept into a melodramatic monologue, ¡°To have been deceived by the girl who shares my very bed. My father hath always told me not to trust in the starry eyed vixens that promise dreams of comfort but slip the knife between your ribs whilst you sleep.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make me feel more guilty than I already am you cur.¡± Sasha hit him and he laughed merrily, ¡°and only I can break into posh expressions.¡± she broke into a smile as well and they turned back to the computer screens in front of them. She was surfing the web to research stats and see where he should put his towards. She hadn¡¯t gotten a class yet but she was thinking something along the lines of a priestess. As an elf she had an increased affinity to magic, especially holy magic. Andross didn¡¯t understand a word of what she said and he half suspected she hadn¡¯t either, but her new teammates had told her a priestess was what she was best suited for. Andross himself was logging onto the Best of Best website. The computer scanned his retina and logged him on as Commoner. ¡°I already had a look at the forum before you finished. You¡¯ll find the front page quite interesting.¡±
New Hidden Class discovered: Shadow Mask Mercenary King. Location: City of Trinim. Power rating: Higher 9. Click here? for further details on the Shadow Mask Mercenary King class.
Andross gazed in horror at the first message to pop up on the computer screen. It had appeared before anything else and covered the whole screen so that it would be impossible for anyone viewing the website to miss it before they went to click anything else. ¡®Why is my class being exhibited for all to see?¡¯ Andross surfed the website to look up the terms that had been used in the message. It was no use clicking on the further details if he didn¡¯t understand them. Andross soon found out the reason why his class was so blatantly displayed. He may have stumbled on a hidden class by accident in the first few hours of the game but the actual discovery rate of a hidden class was exponentially small. Not only that, but his power rating was stated to be in the ¡®higher 9¡¯. According to the site, there were power ratings ranging from 1 to 10 and each had their own tier starting from, lower going to middle and ending at higher. The power ratings determined a class¡¯s chance at gaining one of the twenty nine warrior titles. As his class was designated a ¡®higher 9¡¯ the website had displayed it for all to see because he apparently had an incredibly high chance of gaining a title if he tried for it. The rating was not based solely on his class¡¯s offensive power but also the fact that he had gained control of the ¡®Shadow Mask Mercenary Troops¡¯ which was basically an army of mercenaries that would follow his every command once he took control of them. They were currently stationed at Kelhter and were awaiting his arrival. ¡°So it looked like you have to get to this city. Won¡¯t there be people waiting for you there though?¡± Sasha gazed worriedly at the forum pages she had opened up in front of her. Andross could see most of the posts were about his new hidden class and many guilds had also posted calling for him to join them or telling their troops to wait in locations where he might appear on his way to Kelhter. Every mercenary king had made the same trip he was going to and combined with his location displayed on the home page message it would be easy to discover which routes he would take to reach the city and place men there to recruit him. ¡°What¡¯s so bad about being recruited? You would get a lot of cool benefits.¡± Andross shook his head at Sasha¡¯s words, his friends were all part of guilds and the part they had complained most about was the fact they had to reveal their real names before joining. Most, if not all guilds in Best of Best had a policy stating that you had to reveal your real name. This was done in order to weed out those that were giving the game a serious try from those that wouldn¡¯t try or would bring shame to the guild. All guilds in Best of Best aimed to gain one or more of the twenty nine warrior titles for their members. Guilds made for fun were few and usually incredibly small. His name wasn¡¯t very common so Andross knew that the moment any guild saw his name they would put two and two together and he didn¡¯t have anything to mask voice yet. Sasha looked at him and pointed at the forum screen, ¡°Well you better get back in there. There¡¯s a few hours left before you have to sleep and you need to get as far away and as levelled up as you can.¡± Andross had a perfect sleeping schedule planned and Sasha had memorised it completely a long time ago. He had never missed even a few minutes of his scheduled sleep because he knew that once he was on set or at location he would either not have time to sleep or could only catch a few winks between filming scenes. He had also been trying to teach his body to sleep at will so that he would be able to keep himself fresh for longer while on set. He bowed dramatically to Sasha, ¡°As you will, mademoiselle.¡± ~~~~ *Rumble* Commoner almost fell over as a strong tremor broke across the ground. He put his hand on a nearby tree trunk and opened his status window. He put his twenty five free stats into strength. He had learnt while researching stats that he had gained far more from his class change than most players. ¡®75 strength, 105 if you count the Shadow Masks stat boost. I¡¯m an incredibly over powered player right now.¡¯ *Rumble* Another tremor rocked through the forest and Commoner frowned. He wasn¡¯t sure if earthquakes were common or not in the game. He would have to check when he logged out. Commoner heard the sound of footsteps echoing across the forest and saw a player running towards him from deep within the woods. *Rumble* ¡°Hey you! Run!¡± A voice called out to Commoner and he saw that the male player was waving his arms in the air in front of him. He was gesturing for Commoner to get away from him. *RUMBLE* ¡®Holy crap.¡¯ The player passed by and Commoner ran after him. The rumbles continued and soon they were both running away from the thing Commoner had seen trailing behind the player. ¡°What is that?¡± Commoner looked over his shoulder to check that he hadn¡¯t been seeing things. Chasing the two players was the biggest monster he had ever seen. Granted, he had only seen two types of monsters so far but this one was at least a hundred times bigger than the gromps, and the gromps had only been slightly shorter than him. It towered over the trees of the forest and knocked them down as it moved, causing the entire forest to rumble as the trees hit the ground. Its body was still obscured by the trees in-between them and though Commoner was curious as to what it looked like he wasn¡¯t curious enough to leave the trees protection and see for himself. ¡°You know I would love to have this conversation, but right now I¡¯m a bit busy trying not to trip and kill myself.¡± The unknown player spoke as he jumped over a tree root. Commoner took the run as a chance to examine the newcomer. He was tall and lanky, clearly the type that spent more time indoors than out since his arms were a pale white colour. He wore a hood over his head that covered his hair but not his face and had a bright green bow on his back. He noticed Commoner inspecting him and nodded while ducking to avoid another tree branch. ¡°The name is Astros, Archer.¡± *RUMBLE* *RUMBLE* The monster roared behind them and more trees fell as it strode towards them. ¡°Name¡¯s Commoner, Mercenary.¡± Commoner left out the fact that he wasn¡¯t just a simple mercenary. As long as the hooded cloak covered his face and mask he wouldn¡¯t have to reveal who he was. Hopefully. ¡°So Astros, shall we run to the left?¡± They had been running in a straight line for a while now and it had occurred to Commoner that they could simply run to either side to get away from its path. Unfortunately the open plain lay to his right and he didn¡¯t want to risk the creature seeing them and having nowhere to hide from it. Left lead deeper into the forest but even if the monsters were stronger there he would rather take his chances against them than the thing destroying everything in its path behind him. Astros curved to the left and ran deeper into the forest with Commoner right behind him. *RUMBLE**CRASH* The sounds grew louder and Commoner could physically hear the crashing of trees as the monster began to follow them deeper into the forest. Astros looked behind him guiltily and Commoner saw sweat running down his face. *Pant* ¡°Oh right, I forgot to mention. It may be following me.¡± *Pant* Commoner looked incredulously at him but Astros missed it because the hood and mask covered his expression. Instead Commoner tried shouting at him over the roars of the monster. ¡°That¡¯s a pretty important thing to miss! How the hell did you manage that?¡± Commoner ducked under some more tree branches as he ran. The trees were getting thicker as they went deeper into the forest but the monster hadn¡¯t slowed down at all. Astros kept the sheepish expression on his face and pointed his hand to the bow on his back. ¡°I shot an arrow or two in its ass.¡± *Pant* ¡°Critical hit too.¡± ¡°Are you an idiot?¡± Commoner had to shout over the crashing of trees, ¡°The things bigger than a house and you shot at it?¡± Astros shook his head, ¡°It¡¯s true that it¡¯s big, but it¡¯s got less than a tenth of its health left.¡± ¡°So you got it low and then did a runner?¡± Commoner leapt over a tree root, ¡°Did you run out of arrows or something?¡± They stooped under more branches. The monsters roars were softening as the trees behind them finally grew thick enough to slow it down. *Pant* ¡°I didn¡¯t even dent the thing.¡± *Pant* Astros was clearly struggling with the long run, ¡°I didn¡¯t even know critical hits had the possibility of doing zero damage. Some poor sod must have weakened it and died so I thought it¡¯d be nice to claim the spoils for myself.¡± Eventually the monsters roars stopped completely and the two looked around to see if the area was safe before collapsing beneath a humongous tree. ¡®We had been commissioned to take down a legendary monster hidden deep within the Sylvern mountain range¡¯ Shadows words rang through Commoners mind and he sighed in exhaustion. ¡®The old bastards causing me trouble even in death.¡¯ Commoner turned to face the player that had collapsed on the ground alongside him. Astros held out a hand weakly and Commoner shook it firmly. Astros pulled himself up against the tree trunk and laughed into the air. ¡°Phew! That was a close one. Well since I guess I did have something to do with you running for your life I¡¯ll introduce myself properly.¡± He saluted to Commoner and bowed. ¡°The name¡¯s Astros.¡± *Pant* ¡°I am the famous Blue River Archer.¡± Astros said the last words dramatically and seemed to be disappointed when Commoner didn¡¯t react. ¡°You know- it¡¯s a hidden class. Higher 3 power rating, pretty powerful stuff.¡± Commoner cocked his head to the side. ¡°But your bows green.¡± Astros groaned at his words and lifted the bow into his hands, ¡°You know its aqua blue, the owner of the store told me that you have to look at it from a certain angle.¡± *Wheeze* ¡°I do think you got jipped my good man.¡± *Wheeze* A voice called out beside the two players and they jumped up in surprise. The trees lit up as a bright fire appeared where the voice came from and when it cleared a large fat man in a large crimson robe lay gasping on the tree roots, struggling for breath. ¡°If you good chaps wouldn¡¯t mind¡± *Wheeze* ¡°Do you have any rations to spare for a tired and hungry adventurer?¡± ¡®Now who¡¯s this then?¡¯ Commoner groaned internally as the amount of people suddenly grew yet again. ¡°Where the heck did you come from?¡± Before Commoner had time to blink three arrows were resting on the bow and facing their deadly edges at the wheezing newcomer¡¯s large belly. Commoner rather thought that from the way the man lay gasping for breath on the floor he was unlikely to be able to run away even if he wanted to. Then again, he had appeared from nowhere. ¡°If you would kindly point that thing away from me,¡± *Wheeze* ¡°After all this is your fault.¡± Astros apparently came to the same conclusion as Commoner and the arrows disappeared. The fat man lifted himself up and then promptly fell flat on his face as his belly dragged him down again. Commoner went over to the poor man and helped him to stand. ¡°I am the Archemage of Fire, Quilbur.¡± He tried to bow dramatically but thought better of it once his belly threated to drag both him and Commoner to the ground, ¡°For the record my power ranking is higher 7th tier. And yes, it is a hidden class as well.¡± Quilbur and Astros glared at each other. Although it seemed like it was their first time meeting each other clearly something had gone wrong in the introduction phase of it. ¡°So what are you doing here? Seems like a strange place for the Archemage of Fire to be.¡± Commoner had no idea who either of these people were but since they appeared to have large egos and hidden classes they were clearly famous, at least to a certain degree. He decided to address Quilbur by his class title and the Archemage nodded his head in appreciation of the question. ¡°I was simply observing creatures of the forest when a fine specimen appeared in front of me, a legendary creature no less, and calmly began to walk around the area as though searching for something. But while I was closing in behind the creature to get a better look at it,¡± he shot a hate filled look towards Astros, ¡°this dunce in front of me goes in and shoots an arrow in its behind. Enraging the creature and forcing me to run rather hastily for my life. Once the monster had stopped its rampage your voices floated towards me and I used one of my spells to teleport to you.¡± ¡°Well it seems like I did you some good, you look like you could use the exercise.¡± Astros glowered at Quilbur. ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I find it difficult to talk to those so beneath my station.¡± Quilburt scowled at Astros. The legendary monster glared at both of them. ¡®Hang on a second,¡¯ Commoner did a double take and let go of Quilbur, ¡°Er, guys,¡± the two broke off their staring match and looked at him. He pointed towards the monster that had crept up beside them, ¡°I think we have bigger problems right now.¡± *ROOAAAARRRRR* The monster stood on its hind legs and let out a yell into the air, causing the leaves in the nearby trees to fly off from the air pressure and blowing the trio of players back a few meters. ¡°Holy crap.¡± Commoner gazed at the creature in front of them. It looked like a raptor except it was the size of a house and instead of hands there were a pair of very large and menacing scythes. Its head was a skeleton and half of its body had lost its flesh and was either swollen and red or exposing large bones. ¡®It¡¯s as though someone mixed the grim reaper with a dinosaur.¡¯ *CRASH* The creature ran its scythe hands through the surrounding trees and they fell to ground around it. It seemed to be displaying its strength to the players. *GROOT* The players turned around as another sound boomed out from behind them. A large tree with two legs and arms appeared from behind several trees. It was carrying a massive tree trunk in its hand to use as a club and was walking straight towards the scythe handed monster that was destroying its forest. *GROOT* *ROARRR* Astros, Quilbur and Commoner stared at the giant monsters as they faced each other down. Commoner could see arrows sticking out of the scythe creatures hide. ¡°You know.¡± Astros laughed weakly as they entered his view. ¡°I think next time I¡¯ll think before I shoot something in the ass.¡± Chapter 4: Getting the team together *GROOT* *ROAR* ¡°I cannot believe it, the Guardian of the Sylvern Forest and Tafrec the Undying, both standing in front of me at the same time. Oh, this is a momentous occasion.¡± Commoner looked at Quilbur as he spoke joyfully through the creatures war cries. The chubby archemage was gazing in admiration at the giant skeletal dinosaur, Tafrec, and Commoner looked behind him to get a better look at the tree guardian. It was around the same size as Tafrec but where the dinosaur was made of flesh and bone, the guardian looked exactly like a baby treant, a big ball of roots that somehow clung together to form a humanoid shape. The main difference was that the guardian¡¯s roots were as wide as two tree trunks each and instead of twigs for legs and arms it had proper fingers and toes made out of roots. It was carrying a giant tree trunk it had uprooted from the ground as a weapon. *GROOT* ¡®That¡¯s a pretty strange sound for a tree to make.¡¯ Commoner thought to himself. ¡°T-this is utterly stupendous.¡± Despite the fact that he was standing in between two monsters that were oozing bloodlust Quilbur was quivering in happiness, ¡°To think that I would be able to witness a battle between two boss class monsters, it¡¯s a match up I could never have dreamed of.¡± He looked between the two monsters and finally seemed to notice the situation he was in. ¡°On second thought dear chaps, perhaps these majestic creatures are best seen from afar.¡± ¡°Boy,¡± Astros looked at Commoner and rolled his eyes towards the archemage and made a crude gesture with his hands, ¡°I can almost see the raw, animal lust coming off this guy.¡± Tafrec turned to look at the trio and Astros squeaked and hid behind Commoner, ¡°You¡¯re a mercenary right? How about I hire you and we fight that thing together.¡± Quilbur snorted in disbelief at his words but Astros ignored him, ¡°You got the front and I got the back, down low and up high attacks you know?¡±
You have been offered a commission: Objective: Fight the legendary monster, Tafrec the Undying. Pay: Unspecified. Difficulty: Unspecified. Do you wish to accept?
¡°I refuse.¡± ¡®There is absolutely no reason for me to fight that thing.¡¯ *ROAR* Commoner could sense Astros squirming under Tafrec¡¯s glare and he could feel the trembling fingers that gripped his cloak tighten in fear as the creatures walked closer to each other and threatened to squash the trio in their stride. Tafrec raised a large scythe hand and swept it down on the players. *GROOT* *CLANG* Scythe hit tree trunk as the Guardian of Sylvern Forest smashed his make shift club head on into the Tafrec¡¯s attack. To Commoner¡¯s surprise the trunk stayed intact. The guardian lifted its club and the other monster¡¯s scythe was forced away, pushing it back a few steps. ¡®You fight me.¡¯ The meaning behind the guardian¡¯s actions were clear, it was the boss of this forest and Tafrec would have to listen to it or die. *GROOT* the guardian lifted the trunk again and smashed it into the Tafrec¡¯s side. As the creatures fought Commoner looked up at the monsters and saw that the dinosaur¡¯s health bar was on top of its head. It was almost completely gone, a small green space was left of the bar and the rest was red and pulsating like an alarm. The guardian was the complete opposite, with a full health bar and looking pissed. ¡°Guys.¡± Quilbur and Astros looked at Commoner as he began to talk, ¡°Do either of you think you can damage the giant dinosaur thing?¡± They shook their heads. ¡°I tried shooting it at a weak spot and even with a critical hit I did no damage to it.¡± Astros ran his hand across his bow as though he were comforting it. ¡°And I too must admit that Tafrec is beyond my power to handle at the moment. Even weakened as he is it would be near impossible for me to slay him. However, I might add that I would do a better job of it than the clown beside me.¡± Quilbur interrupted Astros and the two glared at each other again. Commoner nodded his head. He had expected as much. ¡°Then the plan for now is to run. Can the teleportation spell you used be done for a group?¡± Quilbur patted his stomach sadly, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that my transportation spell has a cooldown of twenty minutes. I would have teleported the two of us out from the beginning had I been able to.¡± It took a minute for the words to sink in and after a few seconds Astros protested loudly ¡°Hey! What do you mean two of us? There are clearly three people here.¡± *ROAR* Tafrec ran up to the guardian and dodged its clubbing attack to slice down on the giant trees shoulder. The shoulder and arm fell off to the ground and withered the moment they hit the forest floor. The guardian instantly lost a quarter of its health and roared loudly into the air. The giant tree still had its attacking arm attached but Commoner judged that it had no more than five attacks to live, if it could dodge or block any of them at all. He beckoned to the other two players and they quietly followed him towards the safety of the remaining trees. Tafrec was completely engrossed in his fight with the guardian and hadn¡¯t noticed the trio¡¯s slow shuffle towards the edge of the clearing it had made. ¡®Well, that was surprisingly easy considering what my lucks been like so far.¡¯ ¡°SEISMIC SLASH.¡± ¡°Oh bloody hell,¡± The blood drained out of Astros¡¯ face as a female voice shook across the clearing, ¡°I thought she¡¯d figure out the first time that she wasn¡¯t a match for that thing.¡± Commoner gazed in amazement as a female player with a glowing blue sword flew through the air and smashed into the dinosaur¡¯s side. Tafrec looked around as though a bug had bitten him and then faced the guardian again, completely ignoring the girl chopping her sword into its flesh. Commoner and Quilbur turned to the archer. ¡°Explain. You have five seconds.¡± Commoner feared that any longer than that and the player would die just by being flung to the ground. Astros gazed at the figure as he spoke, ¡°Truth about before was that a random girl flew out in front of me and attacked the giant monster. She was being beaten so I shot it in the ass and distracted it. Now she¡¯s back for more I guess.¡± ¡°Even the lowest of beings have honourable intentions once in a while.¡± Quilbur had taken out a staff made of what looked like marble and an angry red gem was pulsating on its top. His robe had begun flowing as though an invisible breeze were blowing through it. ¡°Well then, it appears that a damsel in distress has appeared in front of us.¡± Before Quilbur had finished talking several arrows shot out from his side and flew into Tafrec¡¯s eye sockets. ¡°Slow at running and slow at fighting.¡± Astros ran past the two and continued shooting arrows at the creature to catch its attention. He felt a strong heat from behind him and rolled onto the ground as a giant fireball flew past him and smashed into the skeletal head. The dinosaur¡¯s skull burst into flames but it hadn¡¯t lost a single percent of health from the attacks. It ignored the attacks and chopped down on the giant tree attacking it with both scythe hands and although the guardian didn¡¯t lose any limbs its health dropped down to less than a quarter. ¡°My good man, if your strategy is to rush in to the fight head first without a plan at least attempt to hit something in a place that counts.¡± ¡°Archemage,¡± Quilbur stiffened as a quite yet firm voice projected behind him, Commoner had crept up beside him while he had been chanting his spell, ¡°I¡¯m going to jump onto the creatures back and get the girl off, but to do it properly I¡¯m going to need your help.¡± Quilbur gazed at the man behind him. Even though his head was covered by a hood he could feel confidence radiating from him. ¡°You have a plan my good man?¡± ¡°Call me Commoner¡± Commoner squinted to see where the girl had ended up after the last clash, ¡°you seem to know both of these monsters. What¡¯s the trees weak point?¡± Quilbur looked at him in surprise but didn¡¯t question him. ¡°The Guardian of the Sylvern Forest is rumored to have a core powered by a magical item inside its chest. Once it reaches a certain percentage of health loss the trees will open up automatically to reveal the core.¡± He pointed to a shiny glowing orb that had appeared in the middle of the guardian¡¯s chest, ¡°Exactly like that right there. It is probably too late for us to help the creature kill Tafrec.¡± More arrows flew towards Tafrec¡¯s legs and the creature swung its scythes at Astros. The player dodged and ducked all the hits and continued firing his seemingly endless supply of arrows. Commoner shook his head, ¡°We¡¯re not going to help it kill Tafrec, we¡¯re going to save the girl and kill the guardian at the same time.¡± ¡°Are you insane Commoner? We¡¯ll be killing the only thing that¡¯s keeping us alive.¡± ¡°I agree with the pompous one!¡± Astros shouted at them from across the clearing, ¡°That things the only thing between you and me meeting my grandma sue. I vote we keep it alive.¡± Commoner shook his head savagely, ¡°This is the only way it¡¯s going to work.¡± He stuck his hand out towards the archemage and invited him to join his party. Luckily he had learnt from Sasha what her leader had done to invite her into their party or else this would have been a lot more troublesome than he needed. He required the turning off of friendly fire feature that came with being in a party so that the player¡¯s attacks wouldn¡¯t kill him while he was in action.
Player: Quilbur has accepted your party invitation.
¡°I put my trust in you companion. What is your plan?¡± Commoner watched the guardian smash its club against Tafrec, ¡°Light the forest behind us on fire.¡± Quilbur turned around and immediately began to bombard the trees with flames. ¡°I do hope you know what you¡¯re doing.¡± Commoner could see that the flames had quickly lit up the forest top. Clearly the area hadn¡¯t seen rain in weeks. The game was surprisingly realistic at times, giant skeleton dinosaurs and humanoid trees aside. ¡°I¡¯m going to save the crazy person that jumped onto its back. Have you got anything to distract Tafrec for a few seconds? Or even both of them?¡± Commoner looked hopefully at Quilbur and the archemage nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll need to prepare for a few seconds. Do give me a signal when you¡¯re ready.¡± Commoner nodded in confirmation and ran towards Astros. A light bigger than the fires that were destroying the forest encompassed the area and Commoner looked back as he ran. Quilbur had set himself on fire and the flames had turned blue. He was chanting with his eyes closed. Astros stopped firing as Commoner ran up to him. He invited him to the party. ¡°If we die because of this, I kill you later. But I¡¯ll do anything to save a girl.¡±
Player: Astros has accepted your party invitation.
¡°Got anything that can hold off the creatures for a few seconds?¡± Astros nodded, ¡°Good, when I save the girl you use it immediately. Try not to get in the archemage¡¯s way. Aim for the big glowing ball coming out of the trees chest¡± ¡°The things I do for the ladies.¡± Astros sighed exaggeratedly and his bow began to glow bright blue. As he charged he continued to dodge the creatures scythes. Commoner took a second to look around him. He saw that they had all come together and from their movements he could see that they knew what to do. It all depended on him now. He ran towards Tafrecs backside and spotted what he was looking for, the giant beast¡¯s tail. Although it was lashing around in the air Commoner was sure that he could reach it easily enough. Thankfully it was a flesh tail and not made of bone. He just needed to get near the monster undetected so that it wouldn¡¯t kill him before he could grab onto the tail. He had the perfect skill for the job. ¡®Activate skill: Hide.¡¯ Commoner sensed rather than felt the ripples of power cover his body. Once again his shadow had disappeared and his hands and clothes had become completely transparent. The creature hadn¡¯t noticed him running up to it and he reached the tail before the five second invisibility was finished. He grabbed onto the creatures tail and quickly ran up its fleshy backside. His invisibility ended and his shadow re-appeared. The creature swiveled its skull a hundred and eighty degrees to stare at him but it was quickly smashed by the tree trunk club for getting distracted. *ROARR* Commoner almost fell off the creatures back as its entire body rocked with rage. It was trying to shake him off. He grabbed onto the creatures flesh and looked over its sides. He saw a girl with wavy black hair stabbing into the creature¡¯s sides with a large broadsword. She was barely hanging onto the shaking body. The scythes slashed back in retaliation and the guardians health dropped to less than five percent. ¡°Take my hand!¡± Commoner shouted to her as he put his hand out towards her and she lifted her head at him. She shook her head and continued to stab down at the monsters flesh. ¡®Does she have a death wish or something? Surely she can see that as soon as the tree¡¯s dead the monster is just going to slice her up without a second thought.¡¯ He had wondered why the creature had no defenses on its back but after it had swiveled its head to see him he had realized the scythes could easily rotate as well and slice off anything that crawled onto its back or sides. ¡°Do you want to kill a giant monster?¡± He called out to her again and she perked her ears up but continued to slash at the monster. He smiled, ¡°Because I know a way that we can kill both of these guys.¡± She stared up at him and he glimpsed a pair of bright green eyes. She looked over to the flaming Quilbur and then to Astros¡¯ glowing bow. ¡®I have her now.¡¯ ¡°Just grab my hand!¡± She stared at his hand and he realized that she wouldn¡¯t be able to reach it from where she was. She was one handed with the other clinging to a hole she had made in its flesh. She freed the other hand by putting the sword into her inventory and put her hand out to reach him. He pulled his stick out of his inventory and poked it towards her. She grabbed onto it and he lifted her up next to him. She equipped the broadsword again and glared at him. ¡°So you have a way to beat both of these bosses?¡± ¡®Heck no.¡¯ Out loud to her, ¡°of course I do. You just have to do everything according to my plan. Join my party. Now.¡± He was curt and snappy with her because he had to be. If she suddenly went waltzing off to attack Tafrec again then he would be sacrificing his life for nothing. He held his hand out in front of her and she raised her hand to click on a message that he couldn¡¯t see. He looked up and saw that the guardian was getting ready to attack again.
Player: Serena has accepted your party invitation.
¡°Alright.¡± He grabbed her wrist just as the guardian hit its club against Tafrec¡¯s side. ¡°Now we run!¡± He ignored her protests and dragged her to the skeletal creature¡¯s side, jumping into the air and landing on the tree trunk that the guardian was using for a club. The girl cried out as her hit feet the tree and she let go of him. Commoner broke into a run. ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there, hurry and move before it lifts up its hand.¡± The guardian looked towards the players and Commoner saw that it had a pair of glowing eyeballs stuck to some roots on top of it. It didn¡¯t have a head per se, just an ending of a tree trunk where the eyes were attached. Commoner turned to face Serena. ¡°First we kill the guardian.¡± To his teammates on the ground he shouted, ¡°NOW¡±. ¡°Transformation: Summon God of Flame, Agni.¡± They nodded and Quilbur was the first to act. The blue flames surrounding him came alive and encroached over both the guardian and Tafrec. Quilbur himself had merged with the fire and his flesh had been entirely stripped away and replaced with blue flames. He jumped into the air and smashed a flaming blue fit into Tafrecs face, knocking the creature back and causing it to swing its scythes at him in retaliation. Commoner looked at the flames surrounding him from one side of the guardian and ran to the other side with Serena. Tafrec¡¯s scythes ran through Quilbur¡¯s body and the archemage grinned, he was invulnerable to physical attacks while he was in his flame form. The flames formed elongated legs and he was soon face to face with the giant creature, smashing his fists into it and sending it back a few steps with every hit. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ¡°Let me show you how to do some real damage.¡± ¡°Activate Skill: Fluttering Petals of the Twilight Lake.¡± Astros¡¯ bow¡¯s blue glow disappeared and Astros disappeared with it. He popped up beside Commoner and shot a few glowing arrows into the guardians core before disappearing in the same second and appearing on top of Tafrec to fire some more arrows. He was disappearing and appearing on the monsters, the ground and even in midair. The giant creatures were showered with magical arrows which must have numbered in the hundreds. Commoner noted that the two players made a good team. Quilbur hit Tafrec¡¯s skull to the side Astros would appear beside it to shower it with more arrows, then Quilbur would obscure its vision and Astros would appear in the air behind him to shoot arrows through his body to hit the dinosaur. ¡®At least I hope he¡¯s trying to hit the monster.¡¯ A tree root jumped out of the ground suddenly and he moved to dodge it. ¡®Even if they do no damage as long as they distract it, it¡¯s fine.¡¯ Commoner was running around the guardians back and jumping up and to the sides. As soon as he landed on a spot roots would come flying out of its body like spears and try to stab through him. Some simply flew into the sky and fell back down onto the ground whilst other stayed on its body and swung from side to side hoping to catch him in their clutches and kill him. Serena was walking around and cutting down any of the roots that entered her vision. She was some sort of warrior or tank class since she was taking the hits without stopping her stride. ¡°Stand back.¡± For the benefit of showing Serena he was going to do something he shouted out to her and she stepped back while swatting away the growing roots. Commoner dodged more of them, he couldn¡¯t afford to be hit even once because with his low health he would die in a single hit. He looked at the forest behind him that had been set on fire and to the transformed Quilbur who had also lit up the area. He had finally been able to find a spot where his shadow was elongated enough by the light to reach into the trees of the forest. He moved towards the core of the creature and as soon as his shadow merged with the forest he let out a shout. ¡°Activate Skill: Shadow Strike.¡± He stabbed his stick into the creature¡¯s glowing core. Before his eyes the entire forest suddenly lit up and he could see the ground clearer than he had ever been able to. All the shadows in the entire area had disappeared and the glowing orb his stick was stabbing into had begun to darken and crack. Some of them also leapt up and attacked Tafrec. Commoner felt a slight sense of loss as his entire mana bar instantly drained. The last smidge of health bar that the guardian had left from its fight against Tafrec disappeared. ¡®It was a long range attack, this would have been easier if I¡¯d known that.¡¯
Shadow strike: 10,500 damage dealt. Personal shadow: 500 damage. Linked shadows: 10,000 damage.
*GROOT*
GROOT! You have slain the Guardian of the Sylvern Forest! You have gained: +31 levels. Experience to next level: 0%
¡®So in the end it didn¡¯t say anything other than ¡®GROOT¡¯. I wonder why the message told me the levels gained and not the experience.¡¯ Commoner grinned as the tree withered and died, Serena, Astros and Quilbur also levelled up. The tree roots that had been attacking Serena shrunk and died as well. After a few seconds the guardian had shriveled up to only a meter or two in height and Commoner and Serena jumped off it easily. The guardian¡¯s body disappeared in a cloud of darkness and Commoner picked up a large glowing object that it left behind. A sword. ¡°You knew that it would wither up enough to allow us to safely jump down to the ground.¡± ¡°I made an educated guess.¡± In truth he hadn¡¯t known that that would happen. He had seen the shoulder and arm wither up when it had been chopped off by Tafrec earlier on in the fight and had hoped for dear life that it would happen again when they killed the guardian¡¯s main body. This let them fall to the ground safely. If it hadn¡¯t worked then he would have had to try and jump off the guardian from its full height or even gone back on Tafrec and tried to jump off it. Most likely that would have resulted in both of them dying on impact with the ground. Serena stepped back as Astros appeared beside them and a pillar of blue flame placed Quilbur on the floor as well before disappearing into thin air. ¡°So you can become a giant flaming puffball. Pretty interesting ability I¡¯ll admit it.¡± ¡°Indeed. The coordination between your arrow fire and constant teleporting was quite elegant. It appears that your bow is not all for show.¡± ¡°You did your jobs well. A lot better than I thought you would.¡± Quilbur and Astros grinned at Commoners compliment. He hadn¡¯t expected them to be this powerful. *ROARR* ¡°We still didn¡¯t lay a dent in that guy though.¡± He pointed his bow at Tafrec who was turning to face the four players, ¡°I don¡¯t have enough time for another try at him either. The cooldown¡¯s ridiculous on this ability.¡± Astros looked helplessly at Commoner and Quilbur and they both shook their heads. ¡°I shan¡¯t be using mine again either. Cooldowns are once again my downfall.¡± ¡°I have no cooldown but I need shadows to be able to use it.¡± Commoner looked around and other than his own shadow the shadows of the forest hadn¡¯t returned yet. Perhaps they would never return, the skill description hadn¡¯t specified. They looked at Serena and she shrugged, ¡°I can stab at it.¡± She ran towards the creature and dodged its swipes. Commoner sighed. *ROARR* Astros had immediately started running to give Serena cover fire and Quilbur followed close behind throwing small fireballs onto the creatures face. It was clear that they wouldn¡¯t be able to harm the creature no matter how hard they tried or how often they hit it. Not to mention that its scythe had brought down about a quarter of the guardians health points with each hit, he shuddered thinking about how many hundreds of thousands of damage points it did with each hit. They wouldn¡¯t survive a single successful hit and with the pressure of the guardian gone the monster was free to take its time to aim. ¡®When all else fails and you think everything is going to go wrong. Rely on your acting, because it¡¯s the only talent that you know is always in your control.¡¯ Commoner shook his head as his acting instructors advice once again popped into his head. ¡®Would that even work against a hundred gromp high skeletal dinosaur?¡¯ *ROARRRRRRRRR* The monster shouted out just like it had at the beginning of the fight and the three attackers were pushed onto the ground. Tafrec the Undying stood above them and lowered its scythe hands over their bodies, preparing to strike. Once it was done with them it would jump over to Commoner in a second and with most trees either on fire or shadowless he had no means of hiding from the giant monster. Commoner walked towards the creature calmly and gathered his composure. ¡®Well, guess it¡¯s better to die trying rather than to die like a coward.¡¯ He imagined what Shadow had looked like before he had died. He had brought this terrifying monster down to the low health it was currently on. He had been cocky, sure enough of himself that he had been able to tell a story while he was facing death and nursing a mortal wound in his chest. He had been arrogant until the end because even if Commoner hadn¡¯t wanted to be his successor he knew that he would get his way in the end. By the time he had stepped in front of the creature he had already gone completely into character. He was Shadow. He pulled off his hood and the creature stepped back as it saw his mask. ¡®Shadow strengthening.¡¯ The glowing sword he had picked up from the corpse of the Guardian of Sylvern Forest grew black as he strengthened it with Shadow¡¯s ability. The creature¡¯s body trembled slightly as the shadows encompassed the sword. ''So I can use the ability on more than one weapon as long as the hour isn''t up, interesting.'' ¡°Perhaps you did not understand.¡± He took a step forward and Tafrec stepped back to match his stride. ¡°I let you be.¡± The creature hissed at his words angrily, ¡°Do not deny it. Even the Devil Mask mercenary king was enough to kill you alone. He could harm me where you could hardly touch me. If you think you would stand a chance against me then come and attack.¡± He held his sword to his side to gesture that he was wide open to attack. The Tafrec let out a low growl and Commoner thought that it would run a scythe through him and end it. Then it turned around and ran into the forest behind it. It moved quickly, until it entered a sprint and it cut down any flaming tree in its path. *RUMBLE* *CRASH* Slowly the creature went out of site. *Rumble* Even the tremors of the falling trees had grown soft with distance. Commoner almost collapsed onto the ground in relief. He had taken a guess that Shadow had been the kind of man to allow others to act while he manipulated them and he had also been worried that every computer generated creature in this game could see through his acting skills but apparently only the NPC¡¯s hadn¡¯t been affected. And maybe the ones he had met were special cases in themselves. Quilbur and Astros stood up and looked at the fleeing creature in amazement. ¡°So you are the famous Shadow Mask Mercenary King whose name I have heard whispered on my travels here. For you know, the guild members I passed on the way were most interested in meeting with you. They offered rewards for anyone enthusiastic enough to bring you to them.¡± Quilbur shifted towards Commoners left side. ¡°Yup, I heard about that too. Someone more famous than me and the guild ladies were offering more than a pretty kiss if I brought your tanned hide into their quarters.¡± Astros appeared on Commoners right side. Serena stayed on the ground gazing at them. ''Damn.'' The homepage had put a picture of his mask in the ''details'' section so as soon as he had taken off his hood the two players had recognised him for who he was. Quilbur placed a pudgy hand on his Commoners back and he tensed. Quilbur let out a hearty laugh and his entire body seemed to jiggle with him. ¡°Do not be a fool my companion. The petty ramblings and paltry prizes of the masses hold no sway over me.¡± Commoner relaxed and Astros slapped the other side of his back. ¡°For once I agree with tubba-lub here, never agreed with the way those guilds did things. Always trying to recruit people with a crazy look in their eyes and treating you as an enemy if you do any less than tell them you love them and that you¡¯ll be their servant forever and ever. They aren¡¯t the kind of ladies I¡¯m looking for.¡± ¡°Oh, were you still here?¡± Quilbur dismissed Astros¡¯ words with a single wave of his hand, ¡°I assure you old chap. I shall be more than enough accompanying Commoner on his journey to Kehlter. Constantly being chased by monsters you¡¯re too weak to kill would get quite annoying you know.¡± ¡°I think I¡¯d better stay. I¡¯m not sure what would happen if you were to fall on him during a fight with nobody to roll you off him. A little running never did anyone any harm.¡± ¡°My girth is a sign of my prosperity you buffoon.¡± Quilbur poked at Astros¡¯ skinny arms ¡°Although I suppose one such as you has no experience with such affluence.¡± Commoner sighed in exasperation, ¡°Am I going to have to travel with two bickering ladies that cannot tell their love for one another for the entire trip?¡± ¡°Who likes who?¡± ¡°Indeed I do believe you are mistaken my companion.¡± Serena looked up at the imposing figures in front of her. The Blue River Archer¡¯s fame had reached even her ears, a man that robbed from the rich and gave to the poor. He robbed from the nobles of Marcades with gusto and taunted the armies that chased after him with a deadly rain of arrows if they dared to chase after him. She had heard that he would take on any evil if it meant saving a woman or child. The Archemage of Fire, Quilbur, had a reputation that exceeded even the Blue River Archer¡¯s, a noble man that acted like a scholar but when provoked would fight like a demon possessed. From the moment he had appeared in the palace of the king of Marcades he had flown solo and any guilds that got in his way by trying to recruit or kill him were crushed instantly. His raw destructive power was rumored to be within the top hundred of the game. And finally, the Shadow Mask Mercenary King, a man that had appeared just a few days hours but was already towering over these two legends that were known for their solo playing, she had seen him featured on the front page of the Best of Best website only a couple of hours ago since he was the one that was considered closest to earning one of the twenty nine warrior titles based on class alone. A few minutes ago they had all been on the brink of death but now they were laughing heartily while hitting each other¡¯s backs and throwing insults across the air. ¡°Hey, anybody home?¡± Serena shrieked in surprise as a hand suddenly appeared in front of her, interrupting her thoughts, ¡°Woah there. I was just asking how long you were planning on sitting there. We don¡¯t have all day you know.¡± Quilbur nodded his head at Commoners words, ¡°Indeed fair lady, I am not usually one to push but we must make haste. The guilds men shall be upon us soon and I fear they will flock like rats to a meat carcass.¡± ¡°What kind of picture is that to paint to a lady! And you call yourself a gentleman,¡± Serena took Commoner¡¯s hand and he helped her off the ground, Astros flashed a smile at her as she stood up, ¡°Take your time honey. I¡¯ll take care of any pests that get in the way.¡± He cocked his bow menacingly and Quilbur hit him over the head. ¡°Arming yourself in front of a lady, were you raised uncivilized or is it simply in your genes to act senselessly.¡± Serena smiled and before she knew what had come over her she began to laugh. Quilbur and Astros stopped fighting and looked at her with grins on their faces. Commoner let go of her hand and nodded at her. ¡°Well then,¡± His voice seemed to carry over the entire area, ¡°where to next?¡± Serena looked at the trio blankly, ¡°Don¡¯t you want to know who I am? My class or even my power rating?¡± She looked at them, ¡°Because I¡¯m not like you guys, I¡¯m just a broadsword warrior, not even a hidden class. Power rating higher 1. I¡¯m about as common as you guys can get. I¡¯ll just drag you down.¡± Commoner stopped walking and turned to look at her face. He was a mask of seriousness and Quilbur and Astros looked at each other with concern. He strode towards her and her shoulders dropped. ¡®This is the part where he kicks me out of the team.¡¯ She thought glumly to herself. ¡°W-what!¡± As soon as Commoner reached her he wrapped his arms around her and brought her into a huge bear hug. She blushed and when she looked at his face she could swear she saw a tear running down his mask. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Y-your welcome?¡± She stuttered and flopped around the ground as he stopped hugging her and they all grinned. Quilbur pointed towards the only section of the forest that hadn¡¯t been set on fire. " ''Just a broadsword warrior'' she says," Astros looked at with a smile on his face, "Takes more than a hidden class to run head on into a legendary boss class monster." ¡°According to my memory the town of Obsten lies beyond that section of forest. Shall we go and pay the lovely inhabitants a visit? There may be some guild pests since it is on the way to Kelhter but now that we¡¯ve formed a party I don¡¯t think we have to fear the likes of them.¡± Commoner nodded at Quilbur''s words. ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡± Serena walked hastily beside her companions as they exited the forest. ¡°To see what lies for us in the town of Obsten.¡± Chapter 5: Parting of the ways ¡°So the outpost down there is a trap?¡± Commoner looked over to Astros and Quilbur and they nodded their heads. After they exited the forest they had found themselves on top of a rather high cliff, one that extended to their sides for as far as their eyes could see, looking down at a main road and the outpost that served as a place to buy supplies and gather information for those heading in and out of Obsten. The place itself was rather small with only a few buildings and a watchtower but from the cliff Commoner could see dozens of people racing around the ground and chatting with each other. ¡°Rather nasty tactics.¡± Quilbur pointed to the busy centre of the outpost where several market stalls had been set up. ¡°There appears to be a busy trade centre down at the outpost but in reality they are all plain clothed guild members waiting to surround you and force you to join their guild under the threat of death. According to my knowledge they should all be part of the Sunfire guild, which is the only guild to inhabit Obsten. Rather, there used to be other guilds until they absorbed them through force.¡± Serena¡¯s eyes had widened at Quilbur¡¯s words, ¡°Do all guilds do this?¡± Astros shook his head, ¡°Some of them are nice enough to just send a single person to invite you. They¡¯re generally the ones that have so many high level players that their reputations alone make people want to join them.¡± He pointed at the town of Obsten which was just barely visible in the horizon, ¡°The guilds like this just like to take in as many members as they can to use as cannon fodder in guild fights or dungeon exploration. Their higher tier members are generally high level and dirty enough to rule their guild through fear and threats. Anybody that wants to leave is reminded with a smile that they will be killed several times if they try and they¡¯ll never be able to receive quests again.¡± Commoner lifted his eyebrows at Astros¡¯ words. He had been all fun and jokes when talking to Serena so it was surprising to see him speaking so seriously. Clearly the archer had had some sort of experience with guilds of this type before or else he wouldn¡¯t have gone into so much detail. Quilbur too, he knew a lot about the tactics and traps used by guilds to ensnare new members. Quilbur turned around and pointed a large hand across the edge of the forest. ¡°We shall have to take the indirect pass across the outskirts of the forest an-¡± Astros pushed past Quilbur, interrupting him. He pointed towards a spot in the forest and Commoner could see shadows wondering within the trees. There were several creatures walking around and as he got closer Commoner could see that they were purple skinned. They were around his height and holding an assortment of clubs and swords with tattered pieces of armour on their bodies. They looked like a mix between a pig and an old man, with spindly and wrinkled legs and a long snout on their face with small horns coming out from beside it. Most of them had hunched backs and looked like they were angry at the world. They had faces that only a mother could love. ¡°Come here honey,¡± Serena curiously walked up to Astros as he pointed at the roaming fiends, ¡°you see those kobolds? Three shots, three kills. Watch me hit every single one of them.¡± Quilbur strutted next to the pair and gazed in disbelief at the archer, ¡°I do believe everything you have tried to shoot so far has ended in disaster.¡± He pointed to the small group of kobolds, ¡°Are you sure you¡¯ll be able to defeat those monsters? It¡¯s not wise to tangle with those more intelligent than yourself.¡± Serena giggled at his words and Astros cocked his bow towards the kobolds and fired off three shots almost simultaneously. *Ketchi* The three kobolds let out their death cries as they perished in flashes of darkness and Commoner noticed that his experience bar increased slightly. He was gaining shared experience for the kills. ¡°Did you see how easily they died or was your sight being blocked by those blobs of fat your call eyebrows?¡± Astros paraded around Quilbur and bowed exaggeratingly towards Serena. She was clapping happily at his display. Quilbur was staring at him and then he pointed towards the area where the kobolds had fallen. There were several more shapes shifting through the trees. ¡°My god man, do you know what you¡¯ve done!¡± Quilburs eyes widened as more kobolds appeared from the woods as they heard the death cries of their companions. Commoner looked at them and counted. There were only a few dozen at the most, then a hundred, then two hundred. Slowly groups of hundreds of kobolds pooled into the area and every time a kobold appeared it began to run towards their location and a new one appeared in its place. There must have been well over a thousand kobolds and the ground was shaking as they all ran towards the party. ¡°I think it¡¯s time we run.¡± Commoner looked at the others and Quilbur and Astros nodded. ¡°Indeed. Kobolds would take far too much time to clear up. Nuisances. Of course we wouldn¡¯t have had this trouble if somebody hadn¡¯t tried to shoot at them for no reason.¡± ¡°Shoot and hit you mean.¡± ¡°YAHHHH¡± Before the pair could start fighting again a loud yell rang out from beside them and everyone stared at Serena. She was zig zagging across the grassy plain and heading straight into the thousand strong kobold army. She had already taken out her broadsword and it flashed out to sever several kobold heads from their bodies. The party took a second to realize what had just happened and Commoner sighed. ¡®Is she going to do that every time we meet something?¡¯ Astros grinned at Commoner as though he could read his thoughts, ¡°Doesn¡¯t it feel refreshing to see such a willful woman?¡± Commoner sighed at the archers words and jumped into the clearing to chase after Serena. Arrows rained over his head and killed a kobold with each hit. He opened his inventory and looked at the sword before equipping his stick. He wasn¡¯t sure why but he had instinctively been avoiding the sword since he had picked it from the core of the Guardian of the Sylvern Forest. ¡®Shadow Strengthening¡¯ His shadow disappeared and the stick darkened. He could feel that the stick was stronger than before when he had fought against the Guardian but he couldn¡¯t check how much it had changed while he was busy running towards hundreds of monsters. ¡°So what¡¯s the deal with these ¡®kobold¡¯ monsters? Are they high level and tough to handle?¡± Commoner shouted to Quilbur as he ran. At least a few hundred of the creatures seemed to be rushing towards the rampaging Serena and she was easily taking their hits and returning the damage tenfold as she slashed her mighty broadsword and cleaved ten of the creatures in half with each swing. ¡°Only around level sixty companion! They are quite the low level creatures but dangerous none the less because of their high damage and numbers.¡± Commoner jumped to the side to avoid various axes and swords that the first wave of kobolds had equipped and slashed at them. Since he was only level forty he didn¡¯t trust his health to keep up with the damage output that the kobolds had. His stick skimmed over their bodies but they didn¡¯t keel over and die like the gromps had. He slashed again and then once more finally the group of creatures fell onto the floor, dead. *Ketchi* the death cries of the goblins were filling the air and Commoner turned to face the area where they were all gathering. In the middle of the kobolds was a single warrior slashing and stabbing at everything in her range. Serena seemed to have turned into a demon on the battlefield, she was grinning as she bathed in the blood of the kobolds she slew and seemed to be relishing every moment of it. Since monster blood disappeared when the creatures died it meant that she was killing enough creatures to cover her in blood before the last ones she killed had even registered to the system. Commoner slashed a few kobolds with his stick and found himself back to back with Serena as they were surrounded by at least a hundred kobolds. He found it hard to place the quiet and benevolent girl with the woman that ran into hundreds of kobolds without warning and took pleasure in slashing at their guts. Suddenly the kobolds in front of him were assaulted by flames and the acrid smell of burnt flesh entered Commoner¡¯s nostrils. Quilbur was huffing from the short run to their location but held his staff up high as his magic attacks poured down on the monsters. He was easily clearing dozens of kobolds with each strike. The ones that were facing Serena keeled over and died as arrows struck their backs as Astros appeared behind them and walked towards Serena to cover her. More of the creatures filled the area by the dozens. Commoner was gaining levels left and right but although the others had noticed they hadn¡¯t commented on it. Quilbur was talking as he slew the creatures. ¡°You see, the trouble with kobolds is that they¡¯re not very bright creatures.¡± Another group of kobolds ran towards Serena from the side and Quilbur casually threw a fireball to burn them all alive. ¡°Perfectly fine attacking power but as soon as they see a person or pair of people they will assume that those are the only people in the area and attack them rather hastily.¡± He created a wave of flame in the air and sent it towards a dozen kobold¡¯s that instantly combusted, exploding as soon as the flames touched them and killing the other kobolds around them. ¡°They never realize that there could be people waiting on the outside to ambush them. Thus the poor sods make for rather lucrative experience.¡± Suddenly his eyes widened in surprise, ¡°What is this!¡± *CLANG* The sound of two weapons clashing rang out into the air as Serena slashed her broadsword straight towards Astros¡¯ head and he instinctively blocked it with his bow. The bow was sent flying several meters away and before Astros could react to it Serena slashed him through the stomach. As soon as her sword had gone through completely he fell to the ground and she ran towards another group of kobolds and began to attack them. Commoner rushed up to Astros¡¯ side and as he helped up his stricken comrade he could see the surprise on his face. ¡°Well,¡± He patted his stomach and saw that it was still perfectly intact ¡°I¡¯m not sure what just happened.¡± He looked at the blood stained warrior as she leapt from group of kobold to group of kobold, leaving dozens of dead bodies in her wake. ¡°Was she trying to kill me?¡± Commoner gazed at her as well and shook his head, ¡°Not sure, she knows the friendly fire is off so I honestly can¡¯t see what she was trying to do.¡± Quilbur had shuffled to their side now and created a ring of fire around them that burnt any kobolds trying to rush them while they discussed. He had an uneasy expression on his face. ¡°I have heard of this phenomenon before. The hidden class, Berserker, is a class which activates an incredible rage within the user, giving them strength beyond measure and the ability to take any wound without feeling the slightest bit of pain.¡± Astros lifted his hand into the air and his bow glowed on the ground and reappeared in his hand. He cocked the bow and fired at the kobolds that were surrounding the ring of flames, waiting for it to die out. Quilbur watched the kobolds dying absent mindedly, ¡°But, I have met the berserker myself and there are no other classes with similar characteristics. So if Serena is displaying the characteristics of a berserker here then I can only come to a single conclusion.¡± Commoner saw Quilbur¡¯s troubled expression, ¡°It¡¯s a real life thing?¡± ¡°Indeed, some sort of mental switch that transforms the kindly girl accompanying us into a terrifying fighter that cannot distinguish between friend and foe. I won¡¯t hazard a guess at what it could be as I have no idea as to the affairs of her private life.¡± ¡°No¡± Commoner remembered the time he had managed to persuade her to stop attacking the boss monster, Tafrec the Undying, ¡°She can still listen to reason while like this. It just takes a while.¡± ¡°WHO DARES KILL MY CHILDREN?¡± *Brrr* *Brrr* The ground shook lightly as the shape of a massive monster came into the players view. A large kobold was heading towards them. Its pink flesh was drooped on its side and beer gut flopped up and down as it walked towards the sphere of fire. Small, misshapen and stumpy horns poked out of its head. Commoner could see the title ¡®Kobold Mother¡¯ flashing over its head but if he hadn¡¯t read it twice over he wouldn¡¯t have guessed that the thing was a female. ¡°FIRE BAD¡± She lifted a giant purple hand and smashed it against the sphere, blowing away the flames and killing dozens of her fellow kobolds. She lifted her hand again and brought it down to the trio. Quilbur and Astros shook it off in their stride. They had hardly felt the attack. ¡°KILL GOO- ARGH¡± A purple finger fell to the ground beside Quilbur as Serena blocked its attack with her broadsword. The next moment she had run up to its side and was slashing at its legs and stomach, constantly opening gashes. The boss healed incredibly fast but its health points were squickly going down. The couple of hundred kobolds that were left crowded around her and tried to stop her movements by grabbing onto her. ¡°Quilbur, Astros, you two take care of the remaining kobolds. I¡¯ll help Serena kill the boss.¡± The two ranged fighters nodded and began to rain arrows and magic down on the kobolds chasing Serena. She immediately used the opportunity to duck through the dying monsters and land more hits on the Kobold Mother. Commoner jumped up beside her and slashed his stick at the boss¡¯s large stomach. Suddenly a light reflected off of a weapon and Commoner raised his stick to block the oncoming attack. *Clang* Serena gazed furiously at Commoner as her broadsword hit his stick and was pushed back by the shadows that encompassed and protected it. He stared deeply into her eyes and saw that while her anger veiled her eyes she hadn¡¯t recognized him. A large purple hand smashed down on them and they both jumped in opposite directions to avoid it. Serena went back to slashing at the Kobold Mother and the boss cried out in pain as her broadsword opened large gashes in its flesh. She was opening more wounds than it could heal at one time and it was slowly losing blood. Although it had incredible regeneration it was slow and without its children to hold down the attackers it was just a durable sandbag. *Slash* *Clang* As Commoner ran around the boss¡¯s body he constantly clashed against the steel of Serena¡¯s broadsword. Although she couldn¡¯t harm him as a fellow team member, the sword had caused Astros to fall to the ground and Commoner couldn¡¯t afford to have that happen to him or else he would be squashed by the large purple hands raining down on them as they moved. The monster had already lost almost all of its health points from their combined attacks. An arrow appeared in its eye as Astros join the fight, shooting several arrows at the creatures head. Suddenly it exploded into flames as Quilbur also joined the fight with his magic. They had both easily defeated a hundred kobolds in under a minute. The boss fell to its last five percent of health and its health bar started pulsating bright red. *BAM* The monsters palm hit the ground near Serena, knocking Commoner back with a shockwave, she ignored the shockwave and jumped on top of it. She ran up the creatures purple arm and it roared at her, trying to impale her with the horns growing out of her forehead. Her broadsword started glowing blue just as it had during her fight with Trafec and as she reached the creature¡¯s shoulder she jumped into the air towards its head. ¡°SEISMIC SLASH.¡± Her sword¡¯s blade hit the weakened monsters head and it exploded at the impact. Bits of kobold flesh rained down on the adventurers and Commoner pulled a rather large piece off of his shoulder with disgust. The creatures had been overwhelmed by the trio¡¯s sheer strength whilst he had hardly done any damage. *GRAR*
GRAR! You have helped slay the Kobold Mother, creator and nurturer of countless kobolds. You have gained +500% experience points. Experience until next level: 0%
Stick Mastery has reached level 3! Experience until next level: 87%
Commoner had gained twenty five levels with the fight against the hundreds of kobolds, raising his level to 65 in the process. It had been an incredibly profitable fight but the fact that he had only noticed the others levelling up once told him just how big the gap between them was. He wasn¡¯t even certain if Astros and Quilbur has leveled up at all since he had been busy fighting. ¡°Watch out!¡± Commoner jumped back as soon as he heard Astros shout at him and Serena¡¯s broadsword crashed into the ground that he had been standing on just a second before. She gazed at him with her dull green eyes and brought her broadsword around again to slash at him. She raised it over her head and jumped at him, Quilbur pulled him back before he could be slashed in half. The crazed girl couldn¡¯t see that the fighting had already ended. Astros and Quilbur cocked their weapons wearily. They couldn¡¯t do much with the friendly fire feature still deactivated. Suddenly her eyes cleared. It was as sudden as a switch being flicked and the players looked at each other, surprised. ¡°S-sorry.¡± Serena looked around her, horrified as she viewed the destruction she had caused. *Growl*
Satiety -5%. Satiety is below 45%.
Commoner looked down at the message that had popped up in front of him and realized he hadn¡¯t eaten for several in game hours. He would have to get some food from one of his team mates before the hour was up or he would start losing his energy and feeling tired. He turned to Serena. ¡°It¡¯s fine. You didn¡¯t do any harm to any of us.¡± *GRRRRRRR* Quilbur coughed lightly as his stomach let out an inhuman sound from its innards. ¡°I do believe I haven¡¯t eaten in quite some time. I was too busy researching the forest¡¯s creatures you see.¡± He lifted up his hand and produced a flame, ¡°If any of you good fellows has any raw food on them I would be happy to cook it.¡± ¡°Well,¡± Astros stooped down and poked his bow at the flesh of the Kobold Mother, ¡°I know where we can get some meat.¡± ~~~~ After a few minutes of walking the players had settled in a small clearing next to another cliff that overlooked the town of Obsten. They were loudly chewing kobold meat next to a crackling fire. The trio was sitting on the ground while Serena had walked to a spot a couple of meters away and refused any food offered to her. ¡°You know,¡± Astros put down the piece of meat he was eating as he started staring at Commoners hand, ¡°Why have you been fighting using that stick this whole time when you have that sword we picked up?¡± Quilbur threw another chewed bone onto the ground and the fat folded over his legs as he bent closer to the pair. His eyes wandered over the stick, ¡°Indeed, is the branch some sort of magical object?¡± Upon hearing the word ¡®stick¡¯ Serena¡¯s ears perked up and she crept up to the trio and sat beside Commoner, looking at the weapon in his hands. He looked at her sparkling eyes and laughed, handing her the stick to look at. She grabbed it and started poking and prodding its surface. Her chest had puffed out and her shoulders comfortable slid back a tiny bit, giving the appearance of a perfectly happy and confident girl compared to the sad child that had been laying away from the group with a hunched back just a second before. ¡®Well at least that¡¯s one problem solved.¡¯ ¡°I-it was glowing black before wasn¡¯t it? Even my broadsword couldn¡¯t slash through it.¡± She waved the stick in the air as she tried to activate the swirls of darkness she had seen engulfing it during their fight before. ¡°No no my dear,¡± Quilbur put a pudgy hand out and Serena reluctantly handed him the stick, ¡°Magical objects are activated by pouring mana into them, without a sufficient stream of mana being provided to it, it will simple continue to look like an ordinary branch.¡± Quilbur adopted a look of concentration and Serena looked at the stick expectantly. After a minute of scrunching up his face the stick was still an ordinary piece of wood and an expression of confusion slowly crossed over his face. ¡°That¡¯s strange.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that strange,¡± Astros swiped the stick from the archemage¡¯s hand and stood up, ¡°You¡¯re clearly just constipated from all the food you stuffed into your mouth.¡± Quilbur tried to grab him but he swiftly stepped back and out of the archemage¡¯s range. ¡°Now then,¡± he held the stick, ¡°You have to think about this with a clear mind, can¡¯t activate a magical weapon if your minds filled with bread and chicken, you know what I¡¯m saying? Try to think from the right point of view.¡± ¡°I shudder at the thought of thinking the same way you do.¡± ¡°Not my mind tubby,¡± he pointed the stick towards Commoner, ¡°This guys a merc king, so obviously this is a weapon that a merc would have. I¡¯ve come across a lot of things you know, and these mercenary weapons always had something in common.¡± Quilbur and Serena moved closer to Astros and looked at him eagerly as he laid the stick on the floor between them and lifted his hands towards it. ¡°We have to offer it money!¡± Commoner whacked him over the head with the sword. He had taken it out when the conversation had begun. He looked down at Astros. ¡°I hope you didn¡¯t actually believe whoever told you that.¡± ¡°I was a fool for having hope in a solution provided by a dunce.¡± Serena looked sadly at Astros and shook her head at him. Astros shamefacedly picked up the stick from the ground and handed it back to Commoner, ¡°So how do you activate it?¡± Commoner looked at them incredulously, though they couldn¡¯t see it under his mask. ¡°It¡¯s just an ordinary stick,¡± he put it in front of them so they could confirm that the piece of wood in front of them was in fact a stick, ¡°I have an ability that lets me empower my weapons. Just like when Serena does her Seismic Slash.¡± Serena shook her head. ¡°Mine only lasts for a few seconds, and that¡¯s one of the more powerful abilities I have.¡± Astros¡¯ expression had returned to normal and he nodded in agreement with Serena, ¡°I can empower my bow but it costs all my mana and lasts about a minute or two at most. You were fighting kobolds for almost forty minutes with that stick.¡± ¡°Well it does last for an hour. It doesn¡¯t cost me any mana either.¡± It was Commoner¡¯s turn to feel every one¡¯s gazes on him. Quilbur had taken another piece of meat and began tearing at it as he expressed surprise and Commoner looked calmly at all of their surprised faces. ¡®So clearly this ability isn¡¯t as common as I had first thought.¡¯ ¡°Well then my good man, if the stick itself isn¡¯t a magic object then why didn¡¯t you use the sword during your fights?¡± Commoner looked at Quilbur and shrugged, ¡°We all had a hand at killing the Guardian of the Sylvern Forest so I was waiting for all of us to have a discussion on who gets to keep the sword before using it for myself.¡± ¡°Who did you think was going to use it?¡± Astros pointed a piece of meat at Quilbur, ¡°I¡¯m an archer and he¡¯s the state puff marshmallow man.¡± Quilbur glowered at Astros, ¡°Forgive the uncouth words coming from that uncivilized mouth.¡± He turned to Commoner with a smile ¡°This is just like you my good man, just like you. I appreciate the thought but as a pure mage I have no need for bladed weapons.¡± He put down his meat and took out his staff, waving it in the air as though to illustrate his point. Commoner looked at Serena and she shook her head and brought out her broadsword, ¡°Only allowed to have this type of weapon.¡± Then she pursed her lips. ¡°I could sell it and use the profit to buy a bigger broadsword if you want?¡± Commoner looked down at the sword in his hand. It was shimmering and sparkling with a white glow surrounding the blade. The hilt of the sword was made of a strange white metal that looked like finely polished marble yet felt comfortable in his grip. It had a flower engraved in its hilt and he couldn¡¯t help but think that it looked a bit feminine. It¡¯s double edged blade was also made of a metal with a white shine added to it and a ridge ran through the middle of the blade on both sides. It was a tiny bit longer than his stick but that wasn¡¯t saying much. The white glow must have been some sort of strengthening enchantment because his own Shadow Strengthening skill had simply added to it when he equipped it. ¡°It was not dropped by a legendary monster. But the Guardian of the Sylvern Forest is a truly powerful boss monster in its own right.¡± *Nom nom* A piece of meat seemed to slide down his throat with how quickly he ate it. ¡°Several guilds would have to band together to hope to defeat it in its natural forest habitat.¡± He licked the remaining grease off his fingers as he finished. ¡°The object it dropped must be something powerful indeed.¡± The group was looking at the sword closely and Commoner could tell they were waiting for him to tell them what it did. He hadn¡¯t equipped it since he held it against Tafrec and even then that had only been for a few seconds and he had been concentrating on copying shadow so he hadn¡¯t had time to check the benefits of the sword. ¡®Err, sword. Status window for the sword, open!¡¯
Item: Blessed Sword: Vitality (Alternate: Life of the World). Stats: +300 each, damage, +7000 health points, +5000 fame, +1000 strength, +Enchantment: Blessing of the Blessed Smith, +Enchantment: Call to arms, +Enchantment: Inseparable Bond. Weight: 0.00kg. Level Restriction: None. Description: One of the twelve legendary named swords made by the Blessed Smith of Tampac. Credited with being able to create and control life through his creations the sword is the pinnacle of his work. It was created in order to protect the mountain areas and sought to do this by giving its power to a treant. Its mysterious weightlessness is also a subject of research in many kingdoms and its design had become world renowned, leading to the creation of many imitations by those hoping to wield even a fraction of its power. It now belongs to the user: Commoner. This item leads into a quest.
Enchantment: Blessing of the Blessed Smith. Description: The Blessed Smith long ago deemed that those worthy of possessing her sword be granted a fraction of her indomitable power. Effect: When under 20% health points: +10% to all stats. +20% damage. +25% health point restoration. Duration: As long as the fight is over.
Enchantment: Call to Arms. Description: Should the owner of the Blessed Sword be in trouble nature itself will rise up to fight against those who are considered enemies of Vitality¡¯s owner. Effect: When below 15% health points plant life within a 500 meter radius will be placed under your command until you bid them leave. Duration: Until player cancels the effect.
Enchantment: Inseparable Bond. Description: As the pinnacle of the Blessed Smith¡¯s work, Vitality has an intimate bond with any and all other works of the Blessed Smith. Effect: If the owner of Vitality falls underneath 30% health points then the 11 named swords will come to their aid and lend them their powers until the danger had passed. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Effect 2: Player may choose to wield any of the other named swords, effects of Vitality will remain in place but only one extra sword effect may be added at a time. Duration: Until player is no longer under attack.
¡®It gives me five thousand fame? And to think I almost equipped that thing again. That was close.¡¯ Commoner breathed a sigh of relief and gripped tightly onto his stick. The sword was incredibly over powered for his level but he had researched the fame stat once he had received it during his class change. According to the Best of Best website, the fame stat didn¡¯t actually affect you until you had held it for some time. If you held a high amount of fame for a short time because of an item then certain NPC¡¯s around the world would be activated to say something like, ¡°Have you heard, the legendary item [Insert name] has been taken from its guardian and is being wielded in battle.¡± And so nobody would know who had held the item. This would have applied to him as well but thankfully he had only equipped the sword for several seconds he most definitely hadn¡¯t incurred much of a penalty. However, like ripples in a pond, if he had kept wielding the sword then he was sure the messages would have changed to something like, ¡°Have you heard? The Shadow Mask Mercenary King now wields the Blessed Sword¡±. The fame in itself was not a problem so much as its repercussions. Normally players would rejoice at having their name spread across the continent and as for those serious players that died a lot in dangerous dungeons or battles, fame was given as a means to counter the death counter. If an NPC saw you had died a lot yet also had a lot of fame they would still decide to give you a quest despite the deaths. But for a man that couldn¡¯t risk people finding out who he was he couldn¡¯t afford to have the fame that equipping the sword brought with it. He turned to face his waiting companions. ¡°It¡¯s incredibly strong,¡± He told them the truth and they rolled their eyes as though that was obvious. ¡°It¡¯ll help me in my journey a lot. Thanks for letting me keep it.¡± Suddenly a new message popped up stating the next batch of meat was ready. Quilbur reached to take some and found that he was grabbing one end of the piece while Astros was holding the other. They glared at each other. Suddenly their arms limped and they let go of the meat, letting it fall to the ground. ¡°Well then good chap, you know what has to happen now? The sword is of course thanks for the enjoyable time I¡¯ve had these past few hours¡± Astros nodded ¡°It was fun. Don¡¯t use it for evil yadda yadda. Fight a king or two with it if you want.¡± Commoner shrugged, ¡°I liked it.¡± He grinned as he saw Serena staring at them wide-eyed.
Commoner has disbanded the party. Players kicked: Astros, Serena, Quilbur.
¡°What just happened?¡± Serena was flopping around in confusion as she looked from one player to the other. All of them seemed calm, as though they had expected this to happen. Commoner pointed to her and her body trembled slightly. ¡°Serena, what level are you?¡± Serena opened up her status window, ¡°Level three hundred and five. I¡¯m ranked #10034 in the main page rankings.¡± ¡®I didn¡¯t even know what that hashtag number meant.¡¯ He had seen it sometimes when opening his status window but since it was to the side he had never taken much notice of it. He was #85679854. Over eighty million ranks below Serena. Her high level explained why she could run into situations without fearing for her safety. She probably hadn¡¯t met many monsters that could withstand her attacks, or be completely unharmed like Tafrec was. Commoner pointed to Astros and Quilbur, ¡°And your levels?¡± ¡°I do believe,¡± Commoner could see Quilbur opening the status window screen in front of him, ¡°I am level three hundred and fifty one. I¡¯m ranked #8067.¡± Astros shook his head in disbelief at Quilburs words. ¡°I¡¯m level three hundred and fifty. Ranked #8068, I can¡¯t believe that the Archemage of Fire beat me.¡± Commoner noted his use of Quilburs title and Quilbur had also stiffened at hearing Astros¡¯ level and rank. Serena¡¯s eyes had widened ¡°See, Quilbur or Astros could have easily killed all of those kobolds and the Kobold mother if they had used their special attack. But they didn¡¯t because with the amount of kobolds swarming around if they had left my side I would have died in a few seconds. That¡¯s exactly the reason they went to clear the kobolds while leaving the boss to you and me.¡± She frowned, ¡°I don¡¯t get it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m level sixty five. I just found out what that number with the hashtag signified when you told me and my rank is #85679854. The difference between all of us is astronomical.¡± Serena¡¯s eyes widened and Astros shook his head sadly, ¡°Even lower than what I thought it was.¡± ¡°Well then,¡± Commoner nodded at the three, ¡°This is where we part ways. Otherwise I would just hold you down.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s it?¡± Serena looked wildly from one player to another, ¡°We decide never to see each other again?¡± Quilbur shook his head, ¡°We¡¯re breaking up the party but that does not signify the end. It is simply that as it is we can only go our own ways until Commoner can catch up to us. A party cannot function unless it has a leader equal to or above its members. I myself am more of a tactician than a leader and I refuse to follow the commands of an uncivilized fool.¡± He pointed to Astros. ¡°Which reminds me,¡± Astros looked at the group and completely ignoring Quilbur, ¡°I keep forgetting to do something.¡±
You have received a friend request from: Astros. Would you like to accept?
Commoner clicked yes wordlessly and Astros grinned. ¡°Well now I can¡¯t just say no to a friend in trouble. So if you ever find yourself in my area just chuck me a message and I¡¯ll head right over.¡±
You have received a friend request from: Quilbur. Would you like to accept?
¡°Indeed good sir, we are friends and friends help each other. Despite how briefly we have traveled together it has been quite enjoyable to play as a team for once with those of the same caliber as myself.¡±
You have received a friend request from: Serena. Would you like to accept?
¡°But¡± After accepting the request Commoner turned to Serena as she began speaking once again. She had a grim look on her face and her green eyes exuded sorrow. ¡°What do we do now?¡± ¡°Of course, we will train¡± Quilbur gave a warm smile to the girl exuding sadness in front of him, ¡°Unlike the oafs fighting tactic of clumsily running in making a ruckus that brings the monsters down in arms around us, we will have to actually start thinking of tactics with both precision and poise. We need to have you¡± he pointed towards Astros, ¡°at least suitably presentable or we¡¯ll become the laughing stock of the game. I shall train further, study creatures and monsters of the continent and prepare for the time when we will once again join forces,¡± he grabbed the hem of his robe and with difficulty bowed towards Commoner, his large stomach threatening to tip him onto the ground, ¡°It was quite enjoyable, I look forward to when we meet again.¡± Astros smacked his hand against Quilburs butt and the archemage toppled over in a heap on the ground. ¡°You have to make me presentable? You¡¯re going to have to lose at least a hundred pounds on your journey or else nobody will be able to see us past your jiggling ass. I can feel the gravity magic at work as it shakes.¡± He looked at Commoner and saluted with a smirk on his face, ¡°Can¡¯t guarantee anything, but I get the feeling we¡¯ll be meeting again pretty soon. Honey¡± He looked at Serena, ¡°Want to come journey with me?¡± Serena shook her head and he grinned as though he had expected her to reject him before he had even asked her. He turned around to look at the Sylvern Mountain Range ¡°then I bid you adios, amigos.¡± He ran into the woods without looking back. Commoner and Serena rushed to help up Quilbur and Commoner saw that his face was red with rage. ¡°I rather think,¡± He lifted himself to his feet with Commoner and Serena¡¯s help, ¡°that this parting would have gone better if that bumbling buffoon hadn¡¯t been here. Well then,¡± He moved back so that he could face both Serena and Commoner. ¡°As one of my favourite authors liked to say, ¡®the parting of ways between friends is not an ending, for the paths of friends will always cross as long as they hold each other in their hearts¡¯.¡± He equipped his staff and fire began to pour out of the red gem it held and the flames encompassed his large body, ¡°I have only known you fine people for a small time but I already know without a doubt that we are friends. We shall meet again and when we do I look forward to taking this world by storm.¡± He disappeared as his teleportation spell activated, leaving just a small patch of burnt grass to show that he had ever been there. ¡®I too consider you a friend,¡¯ Commoner couldn¡¯t help but think, ¡®but in the end our goals are completely different. You clearly want to aim for the top where I simply want to remain at the bottom.¡¯ Serena grabbed onto his cloak and he could see a certain look in her eyes. He had seen the same in look in Sasha¡¯s eyes whenever he was going on a trip or even to the nearby store to buy food. He shook his head and she looked down sadly. ¡°Sorry Serena, but we too have to part ways. But don¡¯t worry,¡± He ruffled her black hair with his hand and she blushed, ¡°We¡¯ll meet again, although I can¡¯t guarantee that I¡¯ll be as strong as you guys expect me to be.¡± ¡®Especially since I plan to ditch my class as soon as I can.¡¯ He silently added to himself. Serena sadly stepped back and suddenly her broadsword appeared. She smashed it into the ground and opened a chasm underneath the earth. She gave him a sorrowful wave goodbye and jumped inside it and disappeared. She was truly more powerful than he had imagined, they all had been. If he had stayed with them as he was then he would have run into trouble one way or another. With their ranks so high they were probably more famous than he would ever become in Best of Best which was another incentive to leave them behind. He would have attracted too much attention simply by being in the same team as them. At least that¡¯s what he wanted to believe. ¡®But that wouldn¡¯t have mattered,¡¯ he realized, ¡®I just didn¡¯t want to slow them down.¡¯ He had found people that he considered his equals, no, they were far greater than him and so he hadn¡¯t even once thought of simply power levelling by scrounging off of them or dragging them down. They were competitive players in a competitive game and he could respect that. As an actor he had long ago gone through the tumultuous times of competing against thousands of others for spots that would even give him a chance of getting to the top. If he had stopped during any moment of that time he would have fallen behind everyone else and never been able to climb back up to those that had passed him. He wouldn¡¯t let himself be the thing that stopped his friends from their own climb to the top. Commoner sighed to himself, ¡®Is this the kind of thing you were talking about when telling me to make friends, Sasha?¡¯ It was hard for him to believe that he had only spent a few hours with the trio of players yet he felt as though he understood them completely. A single tear glimmered down his cheek and fell from the mask onto the floor. But he wasn¡¯t sad. ¡®Well then,¡¯ He walked away from the empty camping spot they had made, the fire had died out and the meat had long disappeared. ¡®I suppose we¡¯ll meet again sometime later, friends.¡¯ He strode over the grass towards the nearby cliff that looked over the track leading to Obsten. Once he got there he looked over the cliff and saw that the bottom was filled with trees. He could see small figures that might be have been gromps roaming through the gaps in the treetops. He still held the sword, Vitality, in his hands. Commoner gazed at the sword and contemplated the benefits of keeping it over the gains of losing it. Now that he knew it was his he felt that while he had such a powerful weapon in his hand then he would eventually encounter a situation where he felt he would have to use it. Just having the weapon on him was dangerous as long as the temptation to use it and expose himself more to the world was there. Since he had parted ways with his teammates there was no chance at all that he could fend off any high level players trying to obtain the sword. ¡®If there¡¯s one thing I know, it¡¯s that you¡¯re definitely not worth the trouble you¡¯d bring to me.¡¯ He grabbed the hilt of the sword and threw the item off the side of the cliff. He watched the sword bouncing off some jutting rocks and fall into the trees below. He knew that the sword would be gone permanently. ¡®Are you sure you want to do that, traveler? It will just come back to you eventually.¡¯ A harmonious female voice spoke to Commoner and he turned around, finding himself facing a pair of dark blue eyes. A woman in a white dress was slowly walking towards him from the forest clearing where he and his teammates had parted. She seemed to glide across the ground she covered, her bare feet barely grazing the floor. Her words were being spoken into his mind. Commoner frowned. He had seen this happen before. ¡°Are you an angel, or something else?¡± The girl smiled happily when he spoke to her and gathered the bottom of her dress around her knees as she sat down on the grass, motioning for him to do the same. He chose to stay standing. ¡®I am the Blessed Smith.¡¯ ¡°Oh,¡± Commoner turned his head to view the leafy treetops the sword he had just discarded had fallen into. ¡°Did you come for your creation?¡± ¡®Was my sword not worthy enough for you traveler? It was my finest work.¡¯ She giggled playfully at him and motioned again for him to sit beside her on the grass, ¡®Or could it be that it is not only your title you wish to discard, but also all which brings fame to your name?¡¯ Commoner stiffened at her words. She had begun to calmly brush her fingers across the tips of the plants poking out from the floor but she was clearly waiting for an answer to her question. Commoner decided to go for the direct approach. ¡°How did you know about that?¡± ¡®There is not much I do not know of your desires Commoner.¡¯ She curved her knees towards her body and placed her arms to rest on top of them as she spoke his name, ¡®I can make your desire a reality.¡¯ ¡®Make my desire a reality?¡¯ As though the girl was reading his mind she chuckled, ¡®I can make it so that you are no longer the Shadow Mask Mercenary King. You will be a simple and common being. Free to become whatever you want and roam the land anonymously, none will know you for who you are.¡¯ He thought about it for a second and shook his head at her words. There was always a catch in these situations. ¡°Then what¡¯s in it for you?¡± Commoner squinted at the Blessed Smith, as though he could get a glimpse of her intentions if he looked hard enough. He couldn¡¯t place the reason but she looked incredibly familiar to him. Perhaps he had passed her during his short stay in Trinim. ¡®It is the Shadow Mask Mercenary King that laid his claim to my sword,¡¯ she lifted her hand to and his horror he saw that she was holding his mask. He felt his face with his fingers and saw that it lay completely exposed, ¡®If the Shadow Mask Mercenary King ceased to exist, so too would your claim to my creation.¡¯ ¡°You want your sword back?¡± ¡®Any object will never reach its full potential if its not used or cared for. Just as you would not want one of your children to end up unwanted in a strange new land so too do I not wish for my creations to lay derelict and disrespected.¡¯ Her bare feet crossed over each other and on the tip of her toes lay ten lady bugs, all in perfect harmony, she passed him back the mask and he hastily put it on again. ¡°Then take the sword back. And take along with it my class. I never wanted the thing anyway.¡± ¡®If only it were that simple a matter.¡¯ She gazed sadly at him and there was a hint of something else, some deep longing in her eyes as though there was something she desperately wanted in front of her but she couldn¡¯t have it. ¡°So¡­¡± Commoner sat down on the grass beside the girl and waited patiently for her to explain. If she was true to her promise then she would easily be able to solve all of his problems. ¡®There is a slight problem,¡¯ the lady bugs flew away and she watched their flying forms sadly. ¡®I¡¯ve fallen in love with you.¡¯ Commoner burst out laughing and the Blessed Smith¡¯s melodic voice laughed alongside him. His eyes drifted over the Blessed Smith, her slender, pale arms and smooth black hair with dark blue eyes. The curves of her back lay exposed by a split in her white dress. He pale legs were tentatively touching the grass, as though it would come to bite her at any moment. She flicked her hair away from her eyes and he realized why she looked so familiar. ¡°You¡¯re Sasha.¡± Commoner meant it in the literal sense. He¡¯d been too preoccupied thinking about getting rid of his class to notice it before but except for differences in hair colour and other small changes, the Blessed Smith looked exactly like Sasha. The Blessed Smith let out a joyful laugh. ¡®Indeed I am, although the one you know as Sasha is known to me as the traveler Mademoiselle. I am simply a being in her form.¡¯ Commoner glared at her and her eyes seemed to tremble, ¡®My body is doing this through no choice of my own I assure you.¡¯ Commoner looked at her disbelievingly and she waved a hand in the air, a sword made of the same white material as Vitality appeared in thin air and she grasped it in her hand, ¡°For you see, I take on the appearance of the loved ones of those I am talking to. In this case I sense it¡¯s not a family member, but a lover.¡¯ Commoner felt annoyance cross through his face but the Blessed Smith just looked at him ¡®Of course, the path to getting rid of your title is not an easy one. The way will be filled with danger.¡¯ She changed topics so fast that Commoner was slightly caught off guard. The Blessed Smith looked at him and he saw how vulnerable she looked, the same vulnerability that Sasha emitted whenever she knew that nobody else except him was looking. The Blessed Smith noticed him eyeing her and blushed lightly. She shifted her legs around and stretched and the vulnerability seemed to disappear. She calmly glanced over the sword, tracing her finger through the ridge of the blade and continued as though he hadn¡¯t spoken, ¡°Not only do I take on the outer form of their loved ones. I also take in their desires.¡¯ Her hand brought the sword to point at him, towards his heart. ¡®Just as I held your desire to be rid of your title only hours ago so too do I now hold the wishes of a new being in my heart.¡¯ She hugged her free arm tightly around her knees, ¡®I have come to talk to you about another female Traveler. One that holds one of my swords, she wants to be saved Shadow Mask. She has been betrayed by the world and calls for me in her heart to save her from her agony. Because she carries one of my swords she feels that I will come to save her, though she does not know herself that she feels this way. She trusts me with undying loyalty. It¡¯s quite touching really. But,¡¯ she glared angrily and smashed the sword into the ground, its pieces sunk into the dirt and flowers rose in their stead. ¡®It is also quite distracting, and I cannot afford to be distracted at the moment.¡¯ She instantly adopted a calm expression and with a wave of her hand another sword appeared in the air, his sword, ¡®And so because I love you I will give you the chance to be rid of your title, for one small favour.¡¯ ¡®Yet you weren¡¯t holding Sasha¡¯s form before you came to talk to me about this quest. So how come you suddenly love me?¡¯ Commoner didn¡¯t express this point out loud however, as it might cost him the precious chance that had suddenly presented itself to him. ¡°You want me to do a quest for you.¡± She cupped a hand around his cheek and beamed at his words. Before he realized what was happening his mask was in her free hand again and she was leaning in, her lips brushing gently against his own. ¡®Experience what I have experienced, feel what I have felt.¡¯ The grassy plains instantly disappeared, replaced with a dark area covered in bars and filled with cries of agony. ¡°You can have the sword if you want. I didn¡¯t know that simply touching it would make it mine, none of us did and you know it.¡± The girl¡¯s voice rung out across the room and the screaming voices seemed to quieten. She was facing a handsome man with sandy hair and a golden complexion. He grinned at her and she felt the hate welling in her heart. ¡®What did I do to deserve this?¡¯ ¡°Unfortunately there is only one way for the sword to transfer owners. If you hadn¡¯t touched the sword it would already be mine. But I can already picture the forums response to this. I¡¯ll get more fame for executing the player killer Orion for being a traitor to the kingdom than I ever would have by wielding some stupid sword. The fact that I¡¯m getting the chance to do both is just good luck.¡± The handsome man smirked at her. ¡°So you¡¯re trying to make me into a traitor now?¡± The man laughed and pointed to her hip. She looked down at the sword that was stuck there. The guild members had tried taking it away from her but every time five minutes passed it would simply come back to her side. That was when they had turned on friendly fire and whacked her unconscious. She had woken up in a cell with the guild leader addressing her. That same guild leader was standing over her prone and shackled body as he ogled the sword. ¡°That sword is worth a few hundred thousand gold coins deary. Unfortunately the majority of the expedition members mysteriously passed away from poison in their rations. An investigation by the survivors has found that you put the poison in there so that you could bond to the treasure and steal it. At least, that¡¯s what we told the public and the others won¡¯t say differently as long as they get their money. And who will the community believe? The known player killer that clearly betrayed her teammates or the dozen guild members that survived against her rampage when she tried to kill them.¡± ¡°How did you manage to do this without a trial?¡± ¡°Well we pulled a few strings and the prison administration agreed to lock you in here until your execution since we had recorded testimony that it wouldn¡¯t be interrupting any of your activities. They agreed to waive the trial since it would cost too much and the amount of evidence against you was overwhelming.¡± He lifted his hand and a small device appeared, it played a movie of her smiling and talking with some fellow players, ¡°Normally we wouldn¡¯t be able to do it but there are perks to being a large guild¡¯s leader.¡± Orion spat at the man and he laughed as it hit his shoe. She had told the guild members her time left online in good faith while she thought they were friends. Afterwards she had found out that they were anything but friendly. As soon as the expedition had reached the treasure room the guild members had started a fire and handed out food to everybody. She had eaten her meal heartily but soon all the people except her had started collapsing. Her team mates had died from the ensuing damage caused by the poison and she had run away from the approaching guild members, accidently brushing her hand against the sword that lay in the dungeon. She had grabbed it and started swinging it at the players so that they would stop approaching her. Unfortunately they had also gotten that part on tape and manipulated it to look like she was attacking them. ¡°I¡¯ll see you in a few hours for your execution deary. Don¡¯t be late now¡± The man laughed as he walked off and Orion heard the door slam behind him. She cried a little in her sorrow. Several guild members moved in front of her cell to guard her. She smiled at the gesture. They treated her as a threat even when she was shackled and unable to move. ¡°Someone please come and save me.¡± Commoner blinked as the vision blurred and he found himself sitting back on the grass with the Blessed Smith lips smiling as she moved them away from his own. ¡®Shadow mask,¡¯ the Blessed Smith looked at him with sad eyes, ¡®If you save this girl I shall meet with you once again and aid you in being rid of your class. Do you accept my offer?¡¯
You have been requested to save the traitor Orion from the Orbsten dungeons. Difficulty: B. Description: Orion, the owner of the legendary sword, Mortality, has been captured by a guild that wishes to have the swords power for their own use. Save Orion and lead her to an area that is safe from the guild. Time left until execution: 8 days, 12 hours.
¡®That girl wasn¡¯t an NPC. Players can be the centre of quests as well?¡¯ Commoner accepted the quest in front of him by nodding his head. *Ahem* He cleared his throat and the Blessed Smith looked at him curiously. ¡°You said that you can take away my sword from me by getting rid of my class. But that guild leader said that there was only one way to get rid of the sword. By that I¡¯m guessing he meant her death?¡± ¡®Not just death.¡¯ She had unfurled her legs so that they lay across the grass, ¡®she will be killed until her power has reverted to when she first stepped into this world. Approximately a hundred deaths in rapid succession will occur and only then will the sword refuse to acknowledge her as its master anymore. Humans have long ago learnt to take possession of my creations through killing their owners. They have chosen to forget long ago the other methods I can use to transfer ownership of the sword.¡¯ She delicately balanced the sword on the tip of her fingers and brought it in front of him, letting him grab the hilt and wield it in his hands. ¡®I entrust my sword to you. Be warned that the people guarding the girl are more powerful than you could imagine. Warriors renowned throughout the land for their skill will try to stop you. There will also be royal guards sent from the Capital City Trinim due to her being executed as a traitor to the kingdom. ¡¯ ¡®I wish you luck on your journey. We shall not be meeting for a very long time.¡¯ She stretched her legs and he gave her his hand so that he could help her up. ¡®I thank you. We shall meet again, traveler.¡¯ With these final words she glided back to the clearing and her dress shimmered and slowly her entire body disappeared. Commoner looked at the sword in his hand and sighed. Before he could lose his class it appeared that he would have become even more famous than he already was. ¡®Eight days until the execution. That means that I have two days in real life to do the quest.¡¯ He had nothing planned for the long weekend so he was free for the next two days. He would try and train as much as he could. ¡®Of course, I have to train more.¡¯ He always had a bad habit of relaxing when at Sasha¡¯s and ignoring his martial arts training. ¡®I wonder if I can train in this place.¡¯ He looked at the world around him. The slowed time would help him polish his techniques but it wouldn¡¯t compensate for what his body would lose if he didn¡¯t continue to train in the real world. He would test later if he could balance his training between both worlds. He opened his status window screen and clicked the log out button. The world blurred into darkness and when he opened his eyes he was once again Andross Silver. Chapter 6: Preparations Andross groaned stretched his limbs. He felt around his body and realized that he had woken up on a bed that felt a lot fluffier than his normal one. He opened his eyes and was surprised to find himself staring at a gold gilded mosaic art painting of a dragon. It was incredibly red and incredibly vicious looking. It was a fine piece of work which must have cost a hefty sum. ¡®Oh that¡¯s right. I¡¯m at Sasha¡¯s house for the weekend.¡¯ A pair of sky blue eyes popped in front of his face. ¡°I knew that I¡¯d find you snoozing down here.¡± Andross grin faded as Sasha lifted the covers off of him and he was assaulted by the chill of the morning air. His immediate response was to pull the covers back over his body and rest on his side again. As soon as Sasha approached him for a second round he grabbed her in a hugging hold and rolled around until she was under the covers with him with her hands trapped by his arms to prevent her from pulling the covers off again. He then promptly laid his head against hers and made exaggerating snoring sounds ¡°Be my pillow for but a few moments longer.¡± She laughed and used her feet to throw the sheets back, ¡°Now now, don¡¯t be a lazy bum.¡± A faint lavender scent entered Andross¡¯ nose and he tightened his hug. She had already showered so that meant that he had overslept. This was a rare occurrence for him since he kept so strictly to his sleeping schedule. ¡°Truly you do insult to me by taking away both my shelter and my dignity. Would you also deny this bum the pleasure of a ladies company?¡± She giggled but put her hands to her nose in a mock gesture to indicate that he smelt. He sighed and lifted himself up from the bed. His shirt had gotten wrinkled and his pants crinkled from the nights rest and he lifted himself towards the shower room. ¡°Now I need to get something so I¡¯ll join you in a second. I¡¯ll get some clothes and a towel as I go.¡± Sasha walked outside of her room and as Andross swept his feet over the side of the double king sized bed he became painfully aware of the minefield of stuffed toys that were laying on the floor. Plushies of all shapes and sizes were scattered across the floor and Andross could hardly move without stepping on an arms or chest of some unfortunate manufactured animal. He carefully tip toed over the fluffy creatures and made his way to the shower room that was located next to the room that held the virtual reality capsules. After he had already started the shower Sasha came in holding a laptop and she grinned as he turned around casually to avoid exposing anything important. ¡°You know the water vapors cover up anything important.¡± Andross grinned and she could see it from the reflection on the shower screens. He gestured towards those very same screens and she saw that none of them were covered in steam or fog of any kind. ¡°I know that that is one hundred percent a myth. I have seen how much protection shower steam provides and it isn¡¯t much.¡± ¡°I found it-¡± she was tapping at the computer screen but Andross continued. ¡°And yet it seems to me that from the moment our little talking sessions began the normal glass was replaced with anti-fog panes.¡± ¡°It was time to modernize. Besides I do believe a certain super star actor hadn¡¯t complained when it was my turn to shower and his turn to talk.¡± Andross turned his head towards her to look at her in disbelief but found that she was already completely fixated on the computer screen. He was a little hurt that she had so easily been distracted from him. But she quickly started speaking so he didn¡¯t voice his opinion out loud. ¡°Well according to the website player killing is just like it sounds. Since the game allows anyone to attack each other at any point in the game, many players have come to start killing each other. The only problem is that once you kill someone if you die at any time in the future it counts for two deaths instead. This additional death on the death counter is given depending on how many players you have killed and will reset upon the death of the player killer. There is no limit to this death penalty apparently so technically infinite deaths may be stacked as long as you keep killing and don¡¯t die somewhere in-between.¡± Andross nodded his head. It seemed like a fair enough punishment. Why would people risk losing access to quests in return for what could simply be some experience and a couple of crummy items. Sasha scrolled down the screen she talked. ¡°The person that starts the fight will receive the penalty and the person being attacked will receive no penalty upon killing the attacker. Players will generally drop one or two of their items but player killing battles may only be done by one person at a time and as soon as someone has exited a player kill battle they regain full health. This is supposed to be a measure against group attacks. Players killed as part of a quest are not counted as a player kill. This also applies for players participating in wars and guild fights. The site says that on top of this, depending on the rules of a tournament of course, some players may kill their opponents freely and face no player killer repercussions. They will instead be given the same treatment as mobs and so may still drop items but have no repercussions.¡± ¡°Err, player killers are given a symbol which automatically appears on the breastplate of any armour they wear upon killing another player.¡± Sasha panted a little as she ran out of breath from reading the entire section of text out loud. ¡°The symbols start from green, yellow, orange and red and shaped like a target. The green symbol is given to players that have only killed one or two people, yellow is for those that have killed three to ten, orange for those that have killed eleven to thirty and red is thirty one or more. Those are the kind of guys you just want to avoid in general since they would probably kill you on the spot for fun.¡± Andross turned around fully to face her and felt his face looking as grim as he felt, ¡°Sounds like a nasty business. No chance the player killer I¡¯m meant to say is just a green?¡± Sasha lightly shook her head as she clicked another tab. ¡°She has her own page in the forums so she¡¯s pretty famous. Orion is a well-known level one hundred player killer. Her class is marked as a swordsman with a power rating of lower 2. This is because she also branched out into some sort of alchemy that allows her to create various poisons but lowered her amount of sword skills in return. Unlike normal player killers she does not kill others for fun but because she is commissioned to by outside parties.¡± Andross coughed and she looked up and into his confused eyes, ¡°Basically, she gets paid real money to take out targets.¡± ¡°Like a hitman?¡± Andross couldn¡¯t keep the surprise out of his voice. He had been surprised when he saw that players that killed other players existed and it had seemed gruesome to him since killing someone else for fun in a highly realistic environment was just below being actual murder. But he knew the work of hit men well, he had played hit men in various films and even in a television series he did in his early days. Sasha nodded her head and continued talking. ¡°But because of this most players don¡¯t retaliate and kill her, especially since she makes it as swift and painless as she can by either surprise attacking them or even using various poisons which act quickly and harmlessly. It is suspected that she simply kills other players because she is trying to support her family or herself. She can be often seen travelling with other parties and exploring dungeons when invited because the treasures and gold she gains can be sold for more money over various websites.¡± ¡°So she¡¯s a bad guy with a good motive. I see. Well it certainly makes me want to save her. Think you can, you know?¡± Sasha looked at him in confusion and he lifted his hands up and mimicked taking a photo and typing. Sasha¡¯s face bloomed with understanding as he knew it would. She and he had once worked together on a television action series where he would make the same sign to her character and she would link a suspect¡¯s face to a search engine containing the entire world population¡¯s data and she would find out their personal details. He was basically telling her to find out Orion¡¯s real life data. ¡°I think I¡¯ll be able to since there¡¯s enough pictures of her on the internet. I¡¯ll ask Sophie to get someone to do it after or even dad. Are you thinking about giving her some money?¡± Andross shook his head, ¡°I¡¯ll just check out her qualifications and stuff, if she¡¯s useful I¡¯ll pull a few strings and see if I can get her a comfortable job.¡± Even though he had millions to spare Andross was a firm believer in never giving away money. Often those that didn¡¯t have it would spend it all in a flash and end up in the same position or worse than they had been before. A stable income provided by a job was good enough. As an actor with hardly any emotional support from his family he had made so many contacts and connections in various industries that he could essentially pluck a job from any business or industrial labour area if he wanted to. ¡®If she can afford to play the game then surely she can¡¯t be that poor.¡¯ He had never asked Sasha how much the capsules and game had cost. Sasha simply smiled at his words. Despite how well known he was she knew that Andross had always kept a humble mind and if there was someone in need of genuine help then regardless of whether or not they were a stranger he would help them. Of course, if Orion turned out to be perfectly fine in real life he would still save her from the execution. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll tell Sophie to get someone to look into it. She¡¯s a rea-¡± *Brrrring* *Brrrring* Sasha frowned, ¡°One second. I¡¯ll go get that.¡± She put the laptop to the side and walked out of the bathroom. Andross recognized the sound as her work phone. It was attached to a post next her bed and sounded like an incredibly old fashioned telephone. ¡®If it¡¯s work then she¡¯s probably going to be busy for a while.¡¯ He turned off the water and stepped outside the shower cubicle. He felt the warm of the heater bathe over his body and sighed in contentment. Then he realized that he had no clothes to wear or towel to dry himself off. Sasha had promised him that she would bring them in with her once she joined him since she was going to get the laptop. She had forgetting about both though. *Creak* As though reading his mind the door opened and Sophie entered the bathroom with a small pile of clothes in her hands and a towel resting on top them. She stopped as soon as she saw Andross and blushed. ¡°Oh my, pardon the intrusion Mr Silver. Miss Ferrier told me that you would be needing clothes and that she¡¯ll be busy for the next few minutes.¡± Sophie bowed and left the room. Andross smiled as he took the towel and began to dry his hair. Moments later Sasha peeked her head inside and he immediately picked up the faint signs of distress on her face. ¡°Work¡¯s called me up. They asked if I could come in today.¡± ¡°On a Saturday?¡± She nodded wordlessly and he sighed. The Producers and Director of the film were completely aware of Sasha¡¯s condition and the contracts of her contract specifically stated that they should avoid calling her up for work outside of the scheduled times. He knew from the look on her face that Sasha had already told them she would be there and he walked with her while drying his hair with the towel. ¡°They just want to go over a scene which won¡¯t be able to be done next week due to time constraints.¡± Andross nodded to her and as they stood on the stairs which lead to the first floor he suddenly stopped and looked around the area. ¡°Where are they?¡± Sasha suddenly puffed out her chest and lifted her back and head confidently, ¡°I have absolutely no idea what you could be referring to. Shall we leave my prince? The business cannot be kept waiting.¡± Andross grinned and Sasha breathed a sigh of relief as she seemed to glide down the stairs. ¡°SOPHIE.¡± Andross¡¯ voice echoed across the entire mansion and the head maid quickly scuttled out of a room. Sasha moaned as she saw that the maid was carrying a pair of metal crutched. They were the type that had a pair of plastic straps on the top so that the wearer could put their arms through it comfortably and grab the handles with ease. ¡°But I do say dear, these foolish things look hideous and cause the masses to stare in rather unseemly ways at my body. Would you subject a poor girl to such displeasure? I have already drunk the dreadful medicine that the doctor did prescribe to me just the other day.¡± ¡°Sorry Sasha, no amount of posh words are going to get you out of this one.¡± Sasha grumbled under her breath as she grabbed the crutches from Sophie and put her arms into them. Although she had drunk the ¡®medicine¡¯ that her doctor had recommended she still had to wear crutches to and from locations other than school. Especially on days such as these when she was going to work she would need to conserve her energy. The medicine itself was a strange blue substance that he had rarely seen. It smelled quite foul and the only thing he knew about it was that it somehow prevented her from growing tired during the day. He was sure it was a lot more complicated than that but essentially she wouldn¡¯t face too much exhaustion from daily activities for six hours after drinking it. It was enough to keep her going for the day but as he had seen after school just yesterday it would wear out by the end of the school or work day. He wrapped his arm over her shoulders and brushed her hair with his cheek. ¡°It¡¯s not that bad.¡± He switched to his own posh accent, ¡°Shall we exit the estate swiftly mademoiselle? Your chariot awaits your commands.¡± She giggled and they walked towards the limousine that would take them to the studio that held the filming set for the new series, Into Darkness. ~~~~ ¡°I shall return ever so swiftly. Do have fun.¡± Sasha grinned as Andross left her with her fellow co-workers and made his way to a large building. It was covered in windows instead of walls and he could see the various round tables inside even from where he was. He looked around and saw that the studio area was completely devoid of people. Ever since laws had been implemented stating that people only have to work five days a week unless agreeing otherwise the Saturday mornings were generally the emptiest time for work in the acting industry. Actors were either lazing in their beds or nursing hangovers after a late Friday night or preparing to go out for the rest of the day and have fun. The canteen itself was almost completely empty except for three people. The two females staffing the counter were either checking things on their mobiles or sleeping. The last person was sitting down on one of the various metal tables and rested comfortably on a metal chair while fully concentrating on his laptop. ¡°Carlos,¡± The boy looked up from his laptop as Andross called out to him and smiled, ¡°I knew you would be here.¡± Andross pulled himself a chair and sat down across from Carlos. The Hispanic boy frequently occupied the canteen on Saturdays as his only day off from work and so Andross had bet on the fact that he would be resting there. As soon as he had called out to him the girl manning the counter that had been on her phone had dropped it in shock and then nudged at her co-worker to wake her up. Andross ignored them. They would come for autographs and pictures later and he would oblige them but his conversations with Carlos were one of the few things he actually looked forward to other than Sasha and work. Carlos looked at Andross with his big brown eyes. ¡°Hey Gold, I haven¡¯t seen you around lately.¡± Carlos was the only person other than Sasha that Andross had allowed to use his pet name. He hadn¡¯t been at the studio for a few weeks since he hadn¡¯t accepted any acting jobs and Carlos had secretly missed their weekly conversations. ¡°Are you working at the moment?¡± Andross shook his head and Carlos looked back down at his computer. He began to type and Andross was amazed at how quickly his fingers moved. As soon as they hit one key they seemed to blur and leave afterimages as he quickly moved from typing one word to the other. He stopped after a few seconds and looked up again while looking sympathetic. ¡°I hear it¡¯s tough to find acting parts nowadays. Don¡¯t worry I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll find something soon. I hear that towards the end of the year you guys get tons of opportunities with the holidays and stuff.¡± Andross smiled at the boys attempt to cheer him up and Carlos started typing on his laptop again. In truth he had gotten over twenty job offers in the last month but he was still thinking about them all since they hadn¡¯t really interested him. But one of the main reasons he enjoyed talking to Carlos was because he provided the exact thing he was trying to achieve with Best of Best, a conversation with somebody that had no idea who he was, or at least didn¡¯t care about it. ¡°Well I¡¯m sure you¡¯re right. How¡¯s the new book coming along? Sell much?¡± Carlos nodded his head, ¡°A bit over a hundred million people viewed this time. It¡¯s less than usual but the revenue from this story alone is enough to keep me going for a few months. Hopefully it¡¯ll get more even though it¡¯s already been out for a week.¡± His fingers blurred through the air as he talked. For as long as Andross had known the boy he had always been typing. Both of them had two things in common. Firstly, they hadn¡¯t known about each other prior to meeting and they were both the best in their respective industries. His was acting and Carlos¡¯ was writing. When meeting Carlos for the first time Andross had been arrogant and boastful but Carlos had soon brought him crashing back to earth when he revealed that he had no idea who Andross was. He had then revealed his identity in return as repayment but had been even more surprised than Andross had been when the actor revealed that he also had no idea who Carlos was. The answer to that question was that he was actually an incredibly famous writer that was world-renowned. Each of his books was guaranteed hundreds of millions of hits online every time he released one. Normally Andross and Carlos would exchange pleasantries of the kind between both equals and friends but today Andross intended to talk to Carlos about something else. ¡°Hey Carlos,¡± the boys hair flicked up and for a second his hair flared red against a ray of sun coming from a nearby window. Although the boys hair looked black, when it hit the sun or when he placed a certain chemical liquid on his hair it instantly became a bright red colour. It was a disguise technique often employed by stars to hide their appearance. Nobody in the public would place the quite black haired boy with the red haired writer that appeared at interviews and on television. ¡°I¡¯ve recently started playing BoB.¡± Andross couldn¡¯t help but let a look of excitement escape across his face. Since he had thought about practicing martial arts in the virtual world before he had also thought about Carlos using the time difference to either write and upload the words to his computer somehow or just think up new ideas by fighting various creatures and going on different quests. Carlos put a hand up in the air and continued typing with the other. ¡°Thanks,¡± He smiled at Andross, ¡°But I¡¯ve already been writing using virtual reality for several years now. I¡¯ve been playing BoB since it released for the exact same reason as your about to suggest. The game time played to real time experienced is as high as it¡¯s ever been. It¡¯s why I¡¯ve been able to release so many novels this year as well as three books.¡± Andross felt his face fall slightly and Carlos laughed, ¡°I¡¯m happy for the thought though, let¡¯s add each other?¡± Carlos flipped his laptop around and Andross saw that the Best of Best website was open in front of him. A new screen featuring another hidden class being found had already replaced the one announcing his class. He pressed his eye against the computer¡¯s retina scanner and a message appeared across the screen.
User: Commoner ranked #85679854 wishes to add you as a friend. Do you accept?
Carlos didn¡¯t hesitate to accept and instead of checking the laptop Andross took his phone out of his pocket to see the notification from the Best of Best website that had appeared on its screen.
User: Ultima ranked #1 has accepted your friend request.
Andross whistled, ¡°How did you get the time to reach that rank?¡± ¡°I needed to reach places before anyone else so that I could write my ideas in peace. The new discoveries and lack of people make it easier for me to concentrate on my work and get new ideas at the same time. Unfortunately people kept expanding so I had to go further and further away each time. It meant that I levelled up a lot as I was forced into higher level areas. Even the dungeons I explored kept increasing in difficulty. It¡¯s quite annoying as people tend to flock to me as soon as I¡¯m spotted and try to beg me to power level them or even pretend to be my friends. Though I just run to a high level monster nest and they run away.¡± Andross sighed, ¡°Well good luck with that, I¡¯m still struggling to even try to make friends.¡± Carlos looked at him curiously and he lifted his hands into the air and gestured as he began to explain about Sasha tricking him into playing the game and giving him a mission to find friends. Normally he would have hesitated with any other person but he had complete and total trust in Carlos. As soon as Carlos told him that he played Best of Best he knew that he could tell him about Commoner since they would both be hiding their identities from the world. ¡°So you don¡¯t want to do the same as me and just train until nobody can bother you?¡± Andross shook his head, ¡°It¡¯s a bit late for that. You had a few months head start and she told me to make friends. It¡¯s hard to do that if I¡¯m away from civilization and other people the entire time. Besides I don¡¯t want to become famous or people will come after me, you might be fine since you¡¯re too strong for people to challenge but as soon as someone finds out I¡¯m a low levelled player they¡¯d flock to me like no tomorrow. I need to make friends with people that don¡¯t know who I am.¡± ¡°I guess different goals mean different measures are taken to accomplish them. Why don¡¯t you just wear a mask?¡± At his words Andross¡¯ eyes rolled, there was no need to keep up a gentlemanly appearance around Carlos. ¡°I tried that already, now I can¡¯t take the mask off and it¡¯s causing me more trouble than it¡¯s worth.¡± He quickly explained to Carlos everything that had happened since he had entered the game and the boys tanned skin seemed to quiver in laughter at his predicament. Despite being rather anti-social Andross had found that the boy was a constantly smiling and happy person. Andross recapped the events surrounding his class change including being out-acted by Shadow and then went onto receiving the quest from the Blessed Smith. He gave the full details and upon hearing about the Blessed Smith Carlos¡¯ eyes lit up. ¡°I got the message that somebody had gotten a powerful hidden class. Boy, you really are unlucky. So now that you¡¯ve got the sword you¡¯re basically stuck between a hard place and a rock? This sounds like good book material.¡± Carlos saw Andross¡¯ face, ¡°But don¡¯t worry I won¡¯t write any of it. Trust me if the guys on the site knew who I was they would flock to hoping to be a character in one of my books so I know how annoying it¡¯d be for you. The Blessed Smith isn¡¯t lying though.¡± Andross¡¯ face lit up with interest and hope, ¡°I¡¯ve met her before and it¡¯s true that she has the power to change your class easily if she wants to. Try your best to complete the quest. It should be easier than you¡¯d think if she¡¯s involved. She¡¯s the kind to send several people at once to do a job if one of her creations is involved so you¡¯re going to have powerful allies. As far as I know nobody knows who you are either except for your class so as soon as it¡¯s gone your free to pick another in anonymity.¡± ¡°Phew,¡± Andross ran his hand across his forehead where a drop of sweat had formed as he had told his story and remembered the stresses that had come with it, ¡°Well that¡¯s good to hear. Do you know who she might have sent to help me?¡± Honestly Andross had no idea how many people Carlos would know, he was the quite type of guy that needed someone forceful like Andross to get him to socialize so Andross didn¡¯t expect him to have that many friends online. But then again, he was ranked number one in Best of Best so he had to know a few people at the least. ¡°Where are you right now?¡± ¡°A town called Obsten, umm, on the Marcades continent¡± Carlos nodded his head and started typing furiously. The next second he had flipped his laptop around and he pulled his chair around the circular table to sit next to Andross. They were looking at a list of about a thousand people with various ranks next to their name. All of the numbers were below ten thousand. ¡®It¡¯s his friends list.¡¯ Andross realized. ¡°So these guys,¡± Carlos pointed towards several names, ¡°are in your area, umm, Grandfather Time, Grandma, Hippy, Naughty and Samurai.¡± He looked troubled for a second, ¡°As far as I know Samurai is registered in the Sunfire Guild so he will most likely be guarding your target or at the execution stand waiting for the girls arrival. He¡¯s a guy that uses six swords at the same time but I don¡¯t remember how. Maybe he has six arms?¡± At this point Andross saw that Carlos seemed to be talking more to himself than to him but he didn¡¯t mind since every bit of information he gave would help. Already the boy had given him more information than he had expected to find on his own while in the game. At the very least he had eased Andross¡¯ worries about accepting a quest from a random stranger. ¡°Well no matter, he¡¯s ranked about five thousand so he¡¯s tough, but the others there are real monsters. Naughty and Hippy I don¡¯t know much about, just that they¡¯re twins that fight together but I only met them once. Now then,¡± he pointed towards the last two people in his area, ¡°Grandfather Time and Grandma are the ones you really have to watch out for. They¡¯re a pair of Japanese that have been playing as long as I have, they¡¯re incredibly strong and since their kids never visit them they¡¯re always online. As far as I know they aren¡¯t aligned with any guilds since they tend to travel a lot. It could be a coincidence that they¡¯re there or they could have been sent by the Blessed Smith since they can travel across the land incredibly quickly when they want to. I¡¯d try to find them and see their intentions as soon as you can. They don¡¯t usually kill people so you should be fine but I haven¡¯t met them for a while so I don¡¯t even know what classes they are. They¡¯re ranked at the lower 800¡¯s though so assume they could obliterate you in a second if they wanted to.¡± His fingers blurred and Andross witnessed the screen changing tabs constantly as Carlos opened a new window after new window, the screen was filled with a picture of a sun surrounded by flames. ¡°This is the Sunfire guild website. I won¡¯t lie to you, they¡¯re pretty strong opponents and I fully expect you to die several times over if they so much as catch onto your plan. They¡¯re completely ruthless and they try to grab as much fame as they can so this execution is pretty important to them.¡± He pointed to a list of names, ¡°Other than Samurai they have several incredibly high ranked players who will most likely be guarding this player killer you have to save. The guild leader Chapman is slightly weaker than Samurai but his main methods of controlling the guild are terror and fear whereas Samurai provides the muscle needed to keep people in line. You¡± he pointed at Andross, ¡°have to make sure to avoid Chapman at all costs. He¡¯s an experienced fighter and the damage he deals is no joke. I¡¯m not sure what upgrades you got but unless you magically gain two hundred levels it¡¯s unlikely that you¡¯ll be able to defeat him in combat. I would go for quickly killing the weaker guild members guarding the prisoner and sneaking the target out of the dungeon. Then you run away as fast as you can.¡± He brought up a map marked Obsten and then opened up the map of the Obsten dungeons. ¡°This is your target. There is no way you¡¯re going to be able to enter there undetected without someone distracting the outside guards. So make sure you get someone to do that if you can. Generally the prisoner will be kept inside their cell until the last moments just so the guild can make a more dramatic entrance. If you fail to free her before they bring her up to the guillotine then you¡¯ve got a few minutes while they read her crimes to get her off the chopping block. They¡¯ll place a respawn point at the execution stand so as soon as the guillotine chops off her head it¡¯ll repeat a hundred times over the next few minutes and you¡¯ll fail the quest.¡¯ ¡®They use guillotines in this game?¡¯ Carlos had already moved over to a new page showing a picture of a humanoid creature made of stone that was around the same size as Tafrec. ¡°This is a problem. More specifically, this is a defence golem. They generally guard towns and won¡¯t appear as long as you don¡¯t present a threat to the town. THIS is the main reason you have to sneak in and out of the dungeon without too much of a ruckus. They¡¯re incredibly tough to kill and for someone of your level I wouldn¡¯t hesitate to say that it would squash and kill you and the target in a second and then the player would respawn on the execution stand.¡± He clicked a few links and small picture of a golem and the name ¡®Obsten¡¯ appeared ¡°The golem guarding Obsten is of a high class and according to the site information it is currently controlled by the town of Obsten and by the Sunfire guild due to Obsten being their main base of operations. If they feel like it then they will trigger the golem and send it after you so you have to make sure to make yourself scarce as soon as you get away. If it comes down to it I think only Grandma and Grandfather Time could handle the golem by themselves.¡± Andross nodded but Carlos hadn¡¯t finished yet. He opened yet another tab and over fifty names appeared on the screen. They weren¡¯t that high ranked but they were enough to cause Andross to worry slightly. ¡°Are these the people guarding the execution stand?¡± Carlos shook his head, ¡°These are the reinforcements that are currently heading towards Obsten. They will join up with the guild in three days of game time.¡± With approximately five to six days left until the execution it meant that they would be in the game for over twenty four hours of real life time. ¡°How does that work? They march an entire real life day to reach the town by the execution time? And then they wait even longer for the execution to take place?¡± Carlos shook his head, ¡°They¡¯re marked as a reinforcement squad so the players will switch spots. It¡¯s set so that when someone logs out they will log back in at the current spot the group is at. That way some can rest while others march onwards. Your best bet is to attack before these guys get there or else you¡¯re screwed. If the reinforcements reach the execution stand they¡¯ll call the sleeping members and the entire force will be there for the actual event.¡± Andross sighed, ¡°I thought this was only meant to be a B rank quest.¡± Carlos laughed heartily, ¡°This is pretty easy for a B rank quest. What gave you the impression it was going to be easy?¡± ¡°Err, I already have another B rank quest and an A rank quest. Aren¡¯t they pretty common?¡± At his words Carlos had begun to laugh uncontrollably and tears were forming in his eyes. After a few seconds of watching Andross was about to interrupt him but he suddenly sat up straight and looked as though nothing had happened. ¡°It must be because of the class you received. The get that sort of class at level 1 is something I¡¯ve never heard about, I got my current hidden class at level five hundred and it¡¯s at the same power rating as yours. But these quests aren¡¯t common at all. There are a few ranks lower in terms of quest difficulty.¡± ¡°Well, looks like I¡¯m screwed. I¡¯ll try to find these high ranked friends of yours but I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯ll be able to complete this quest.¡± Carlos shrugged nonchalantly, ¡°Just move on to Kelhter if you don¡¯t complete it. This just gets you to your goal just that little bit faster.¡± Andross stood up. He was meant to have met up with Sasha a while ago, ¡°I¡¯ll see you around Gold. Good luck losing your class. Mind if I ask you a favour?¡± Andross nodded his head. ¡°I¡¯ve gotten so much help from you it¡¯d be rude for me not to hear you out at least.¡± Carlos pulled back his chair and bent down to grab his bag that had been hidden under the table. He rummaged through it and took a small black box out. It looked like a video camera except that it had some sort of cable sticking out of it. ¡°This is a device that will record your time in the game. I call it a recording device. Attach it to the right side of the Capsule where the connector is to start it up. Since you¡¯re going to lose your class after this, can you record yourself as you do the quest and I¡¯ll try to make it into a short story if I can? If you fail then of course I¡¯ll delete all the footage and it¡¯s a given that either way I won¡¯t include your real name or any references to your real life.¡± Andross laughed and took the black box out of Carlos¡¯ hands, ¡°Yeh go for it. I don¡¯t know if a quest would make a good story.¡± He had refused something similar in the conversation but since Carlos kept his word one hundred percent of the time he had nothing to fear. ¡°It¡¯s been making me millions so far. You¡¯d be surprised at how awesome these quests are on Best of Best.¡± Carlos smiled and turned back to his laptop. After a few seconds he was completely engrossed in writing again. Andross turned around and saw that the two female staff members that had been manning the canteen when he walked in were lazing about the entrance conspicuously. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡®Well, I¡¯ve seen better attempts at trying to act casual but it wouldn¡¯t hurt to say hi to them.¡¯ He smiled as he exited outside the canteen and slowed his pace so that the girls could walk up to him without having to run. One of them appeared beside him blushing slightly and he stopped walking as though he were surprised to see her. She looked up at him and he flashed a grin at her. Her face was almost as bright as her orange coloured hair. She was young, around seventeen years old. Then again, he was only barely nineteen. ¡°Y-you¡¯re A-Andross Silver right?¡± Andross nodded, ¡°That¡¯s right, ¡°I-I¡¯m Erica, um, can I have your autograph, or maybe a picture?¡± Andross took out his phone and gracefully accepted a pen that Erica had pulled out of her pant pocket. Her work uniform was a simple pair of tight black pants and simple light blue shirt. Andross leant over and signed the side of her shirt and she gave a little squeak. Then he ran his arm around her upper waist and swept her into a hug. He placed his phone in front of them, taking a picture of himself and the red faced worker. ¡°Why not both? I¡¯ll put this up after is that okay?¡± He let go of Erica and showed her that he was placing the photo on his profile. It would probably be viewed by millions of people by the end of the day and she could download it to show her family and friends. The other employee, another young girl, bashfully crept up to him and he smiled at her. After another photo and autograph the two excitedly ran back into the canteen. They had no doubt gone to tell everyone they knew about their encounter with the young superstar. He grinned happily, it always pleased him to see happy fans. ¡®Now it¡¯s time to go and pick up mademoiselle.¡¯ ~~~~ Andross sat down and observed the actors. Sasha was currently working with her fellows in the new drama, Into Darkness. The point of the drama was to show the life of the ever conservative countess Evelynn Theodore. She was in fact an elf but this fact was not known by her husband Matias Theodore. Currently Sasha was playing Evelynn and Matias was being played by an up and coming newcomer to the acting scene named Mark Alcott. The countess had to try and make sure that her husband wouldn¡¯t figure out her secret for fear of reprimand and so she was faking illness and bedridden for days on end. The only other man to know her secret is her doctor, an elderly man who was once saved from death by an elf who was Evelynn¡¯s mother. Of course, over the course of the series many of her subjects and outside parties would discover her secret and because elves were ostracized in their society they would have to make the choice to keep it or to publically announce it. Their machinations and attempts at blackmail and other such plots were the key to driving the story forwards so although Evelynn is the focus of the plot she does not necessarily have to appear in so many scenes as she drives them through name alone. ¡°CUT¡± Andross sighed as the scene Sasha and Mark were filming was cut once again by the Director, Treffle, who was looking at the young male protagonist angrily. They were currently filming a scene in which the countess and the count dance privately in their quarters during one of their rare moments of peace but where Mark was supposed to match Evelynn¡¯s pace in the dance he constantly overtook her forcefully. ¡®He clearly has the wrong idea in his head.¡¯ Andross had seen it many times before, a young and hot headed actor decides to add his own flare or take on a scene and the director has to constantly restart the recording because the message the actor wants to send is not the one the director planned for the scene. In this case the message Mark was trying to send was one where Matias completely dominated over Evelynn while they were in their private life and this was reflected in his dance. Clearly Director Treffle disagreed with this approach as the scene had been stopped several times over. It was a scene with no lines but in Andross¡¯ opinion those were the hardest kind since the message could not be conveyed out loud with words to the audience and must instead be shown to them through subtle gestures and movements. It took the skills of a true actor to pull off such a scene successfully. A girl shuffled uncomfortably and Andross turned away from the actors to look at the girl and woman that were on the other side of the room. The girl was around his and Sasha¡¯s age, probably eighteen or nineteen and he had seen her walking around Blue Flower High School. ¡®Her name was Tracy wasn¡¯t it? Wait, no, Stacy.¡¯ Stacy Olen. She was similar to Sasha in height, body figure and hair colour but her eyes were a light grey and she was well endowed. She was wearing the same dress and other clothes that Sasha was. ¡®Probably a double D or bigger.¡¯ She had been brought in by the Producer, the woman standing next to her, as an understudy but Andross knew that she was there for a different reason. If Sasha seemed to be having too much trouble acting while afflicted with her disease then Stacy would be brought in as her permanent replacement. The main reason that Sasha had been able to gain the part of countess Evelynn was because of Treffle¡¯s influence and insistence that she be the actress to star in the role. Despite having acted in an exemplary manner and not showing any signs of slowing due to her disease Andross could have sworn that the Producer was staring at Sasha with distaste. If he remembered Sasha¡¯s words correctly then Stacy had been recommended by the Producer to be the female lead of Into Darkness. It was probable that personal bias played a part in her angry glances towards Sasha. ¡°DO IT PROPERLY OR I¡¯LL FIND SOMEONE ELSE THAT CAN DO IT.¡± Treffle¡¯s voice boomed over Andross¡¯ thoughts and he glanced at the angry Director. Mark was coolly taking in the angry Director¡¯s rant and Andross sighed. Clearly the young actor was going to completely ignore Treffle¡¯s words and continue to screw up the scene without realizing that he was the problem. ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± Before Andross realized it he had already walked into the middle of the group as he spoke. Mark scowled at him but he noticed that Treffle was smiling now and the Producer and Stacy walked closer to them as they curiously surveyed the scene. ¡°Ah, Andross, I saw you sitting around there. Did you come with Sasha?¡± Andross nodded his head. Treffle had been his acquaintance for a long time and he had stared in many television series directed by him. The man was, in all honesty, a genius. His techniques had long ago made him the top of the pack and everyone expected Into Darkness to be another hit show to add to his already long list of successes. Andross looked down at the floor where Sasha and Mark stood. Two spots were marked with white crosses to show where Evelynn and Matias were going to dance. Treffle looked hopefully at Andross and the Producer had begun to whisper to Stacy. If he wanted to Andross could just say the word and Mark would be kicked off the cast and he would be added in. But he shook his head at the Director. ¡°I¡¯ll just do the dance once, to see if it¡¯s how you might want it.¡± If Mark saw the way the dance was meant to be done then perhaps the added incentive of surpassing Andross would finally allow him to pass over the wall that had been created by his own arrogance. ¡®A little friendly competition never hurt anyone.¡¯ Sasha walked once again into the white cross on the floor but Andross shook his head. ¡°I want to dance with her.¡± He pointed towards Stacy and everybody in the room stared at him. Stacy flicked her hair back and met his eyes with confidence. The Producer nudged her and she calmly moved towards the marked area and Sasha moved out of the way to let her step onto it. Sasha had already seen through Andross¡¯ thoughts and realized that she needed a rest. She too had noticed how confident Stacy was. There wasn¡¯t a doubt in their minds that she had already learnt this dance. ¡®She¡¯s a good understudy.¡¯ Andross strode confidently towards his marked spot and Mark roughly pushed against his shoulder as he passed him. He ignored the subtle insult and instead he curved his arm so that his right hand was in front of his body, directly positioned in the middle of his chest, his elbow facing forward towards Stacy. His partner had done the same so that they looked like two halves of a whole, seeking to be connected with each other. It was the traditional stance of the dance that the two were completing. In the scene both Evelynn and Matias had retired to their bedchamber after Matias had attended a royal ball. Since Evelynn had been unable to attend purportedly because of her illness Matias had instead suggested that they dance in private and now both of the actors had entered the traditional dances stance. The dance was nothing royal but instead was something the count and countess had danced as children together, a rural dance depicting a man¡¯s chase and capture of a woman. But whereas Mark had dominated Evelynn during his time dancing Andross had no such intentions. He found himself facing Stacy and staring deeply into her eyes. They were a stormy grey colour, but he could see only the blue, mysterious eyes that the lady Evelynn possessed. The sound of music begun to flow gently through the air and Evelynn lowered her body in a brief curtsy. Matias followed her lead while keeping the contact between their eyes unbroken. As the melody began to increase in pace his hips began to sway from side to side and Evelynn placed her hand over her mouth as she giggled, but she herself had already began to move as well, lifted a leg behind her and kicking the ground with the tip of her toes in a steady rhythm. *Tap tap* *tap tap* She finished tapping as the music entered a new phase and grew louder, rougher. Matias and Evelynn simultaneously glided forward from their right sides. They moved in a semicircle motion with Evelynn gliding across the floor and Matias swiftly keeping up with her on the opposite side while keeping their eyes connected. Because they were moving in opposite sides they formed a full circle as they completed their short journey towards each other¡¯s white marks. As Matias passed her in the middle of the circle her gaze seemed to project a subtle message, one of lust and seduction, and although he was as far as he had ever been from her physically her gaze told him that he was also closer to reaching her than he had been before. They ended up in each other¡¯s positions and turned around full circle on the spot, their gazes immediately locking again as though they had never been apart. To them the spin had represented the passing of years and they were no longer strangers observing each other from afar but instead people who knew each other as friends. Matias moved forward and curved in an S shape to the other side, with Evelynn following suite so that together they would move in a figure 8. They met each other in the middle but although her voluptuous breasts grazed the air within an inch of his chest and his own gaze hit her in full force they simply passed each other with a smile, two people meeting and enticing each other. They came to a stop in their original positions and did another twirl, this time the eyes that Matias showed Evelynn were those of a hunter. He had found his prey and he intended to make her his. He glided in another semicircle towards her and she glided towards him along the same path, meeting with him at the middle. Evelynn¡¯s body shrunk as she neared him, as though she were easy prey that was inviting him to hunt her. She lowered her face so that her eyes were shadowed beyond his sight but he sensed her eyes facing up towards his own. He thrust his chest out confidently so that he towered over her small form and they moved their feet in synchronized motions, tapping the ground in front of each other with one foot and bringing it in and repeating the process with the other foot. The pair slowly moved their bodies closer together as they danced, the man towering over the girl. But as soon as they were near to touching Evelynn broke off from her tapping and glided back towards her position, Matias stepping lightly on his feet in pursuit of her. Evelynn never ceased to glide forward and every time Matias seemed to come closer to her she would fly away from his grasp and soon it was not a hunter pursuing his prey, but a man chasing after that which he could not have. His every step matched with hers and they moved perfectly in sync. Evelynn denied her chaser the chance to catch up to her with subtle footwork that made her appear as free as a bird and Matias never stopped his chase for fear that she would fly away and forever be out of his grasp. If one were to stop moving they would break the delicate balance that had been created through their movements. As they reached her white marked position Matias broke off his pursuit and gracefully stepped back into his original position, keeping his eyes linked with Evelynn¡¯s the entire time. The duo twirled on the spot again and as they reached the end of the spin they didn¡¯t hesitate to make another figure 8, meeting at the middle and stopping to dance next to each other. Matias raised his arms protectively over Evelynn¡¯s head as though he were blocking the sun, keeping her from running away from him again. Evelynn had raised her head to tie her eyes directly to his, no intention to run from his grasp or to even acknowledge it. She simply twirled on the spot and moved towards the marked area. They had once again swapped spots and both did their spins. They glided forward towards each other as the music reached its climax and both of them sped towards each other, slowing suddenly as they came within inches of each other and finding themselves interlocked. Matias had wrapped his arms around Evelynn¡¯s waist yet it was Evelynn that looked forward triumphantly as the man that she had desired since she saw him flew into her arms. Each lusted for each other but it was she who had earned her security in his arms and his undying love through her threats of flying away should he ever let go of her. Ultimately it was she who was the winner in their dance, in their chase. The music stopped and Andross heard the sound of clapping. He saw that Treffle was grinning as he put his hands together over and over again. He broke away from Stacy and turned to face Mark, ¡°What¡¯s the name of the song that¡¯s playing?¡± Mark shrugged his shoulders, ¡°Not sure. I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re going to tell me?¡± ¡°The song¡¯s name is Promise. The meaning for this name is shown through the dance that Evelynn and Matias perform. But because you don¡¯t know what the meaning is you haven¡¯t been able to do it successfully.¡± ¡°I know what the meaning is. The two want each other badly so they dance, he chases the girl and gets her.¡± Andross moaned internally at the simplistic explanation and he saw Sasha walk towards him until she ended up next to him. She placed a hand on his shoulder just as Stacy also returned and stood next to the Producer. Director Treffle had stopped clapping and had his face not been stuck in what seemed to be a permanent smile Andross would have sworn that he was glowering at the male lead. He was a director known for his anger yet he had never let an angry expression cross his face. ¡°That isn¡¯t the meaning of it at all.¡± The people in the group turned to face him and he flashed a smile around to show that he wasn¡¯t trying to start a fight, ¡°the true meaning of the song and dance is much deeper than a simple game of cat and mouse between a man and a woman. These two lust for each other but until the end they never touch.¡± Mark¡¯s eyes looked up to the ceiling as Andross began to speak, ¡°In the end it isn¡¯t the guy that wins,¡± Mark looked at him disbelievingly, ¡°It isn¡¯t even the girl, it¡¯s both of them. The whole point of the dance is to show that they are both equal, the man gave chase to the girl but at the same time the girl always wanted the man to capture her. As equals they ran from each other and enticed one another but in the end they ended the dance with the result they intended. Not a man for the night and not a woman who was easy but a couple whose bonds would not be broken because they knew and respected each other so well after the long chase that they cannot afford to let go of one another for fear of losing an equal.¡± ¡°Well,¡± Andross looked at Mark¡¯s annoyed face and Treffle¡¯s smiling one, ¡°I should probably go now. Will you be long Treffle?¡± The smiling Director shook his head and Stacy went over to the Producer¡¯s side. As he had suspected she had known the dance perfectly and unlike Mark had also discovered the true meaning behind its movements. Perhaps he would ask her about it afterwards at school. The Producer was also smiling at Stacy and Andross couldn¡¯t help but feel a small amount of triumph emanating from her body. ¡°You know you come and butt in on my performance like your all it.¡± Mark had angrily turned to face Andross, ¡°but you should know that you¡¯re not always going to be the top guy around here. I¡¯m already a star in critically acclaimed films and soon I¡¯ll be beating you so badly that people will forget who you are.¡± Andross shrugged, ¡°If it¡¯s about beating me in acting yesterday alone I had two people completely make a fool of me and show me how limited my skills were. My acting isn¡¯t ¡®all it¡¯¡± he made a quotation gesture with his fingers as he quoted Mark, ¡°But if you want to beat me then go ahead. I don¡¯t really mind as long as you enjoy yourself while doing it and the audiences have fun watching your stuff.¡± Mark shut his mouth as Treffle suppressed a giggle. ¡°Well then, I better go. Sasha?¡± Sasha nodded and wrapped her arms around his arm so that they could walk together. He sighed as he realized that she had ¡®mysteriously¡¯ lost her latest pair of crutches. The Producer seemed to be viewing the spot where their arms locked with some sort of angry expression. ¡®She was dancing fine before.¡¯ He looked down at Sasha who had a comfortable expression on her face, ¡®I really think she¡¯s faking it sometimes. Her medicine shouldn¡¯t run out for a few more hours.¡¯ He really couldn¡¯t work out what they were thinking, making Sasha come in for such an easy scene. He was sure that with the practice done today they would be able to complete it on Monday or else they wouldn¡¯t be letting him take Sasha away so soon. ¡°One last question,¡± Mark was gazing at the spot where Matias and Evelynn had danced only moments before, ¡°When did you get the time to learn the dance so perfectly?¡± Commoner waved his free hand in the air dismissively as he walked towards the stage exit with Sasha in stride, ¡°You saw me watching you a few minutes ago didn¡¯t you? Don¡¯t tell me you didn¡¯t notice me there.¡± He could feel the gazes of astonishment on his back. He wasn¡¯t lying either, he hadn¡¯t seen the dance before today but he had memorized the plot of Into Darkness just this morning and as he had viewed Mark dance he had learnt it in his mind and simply had to think about it to perform it perfectly. He had trained for years to perfect dancing under the tutorage of his acting instructor who had also taught him how to dance and play instruments as part of his curriculum. ¡°Just remember¡± His acting instructors words flitted through his mind, ¡°An actor is an actor because he is always comfortable in his own element. As soon as that comfort is gone he ceases to be an actor and so you must learn how to do everything and if you encounter something you don¡¯t know how to do, then you adapt and learn it.¡± As his instructors words flitted across his mind Andross couldn¡¯t help but leave a final comment in his wake, ¡°I don¡¯t have time for people like you that insist on holding up the process because of their own ego so I just decided to give it a go myself.¡± As he left the astonished people behind he smiled to himself. They passed the canteen and he saw that Carlos had already left. ¡®Pity, I wanted to thank him for his help.¡¯ Sasha nudged his side. ¡°You seem to be in a rather evil mood my prince.¡± Andross ruffled her hair and they headed back to the limo. It may not have been a defining moment in his career but unlike fighting skeletal dinosaurs or dog face kobolds this was where he felt comfortable. It was in this place and in moments like this where he felt as though he could do anything and everything and always get it right. He was an actor. And this was his element. ¡°Well then countess,¡± Andross viewed the long walk to the limousine, ¡°Shall I give you a ride fitting for one of your status?¡± Sasha gave him a confused look and her eyes widened in surprise as he grinned and wrapped his hands around her waist, lifting her up into the air. She made a sound that was a cross between a squeal and laughter as countess Evelynn¡¯s short dress fluttered in the wind. He placed her on top of his shoulders and felt her thighs rubbing against his ears and hair. He grabbed them to make sure that she didn¡¯t fall off. After she had safely wrapped her legs just below his neck and tightly pressed her thighs against the sides of his head he let go of her and lifted his hands into the air in a grand gesture. ¡°Behold the countess that holds the entire world underneath her gaze! Behold the riches of she who does not hesitate to use strapping young men such as myself as a mere mount! Do not doubt her power and veracity for she is ruler over all she sees!¡± Andross¡¯ shout rung across the entire studio complex and echoed off of the canteens walls. The countess in question was stuck between laughing and shrieking loudly as Andross shook his shoulders from side to side and threatened to topple her over. She grabbed onto his forehead to prevent herself from falling and he laughed and brought his hands back to down to rest on her thighs and steadied her with them. ¡°This rather unceremonious act of screeching isn¡¯t quite befitting for a lady of your stature.¡± Sasha panted and leant over so that her upside down face was looking down at his. Her blonde hair obscured her vision and despite her face being darkened by shadows he could see the slight edges of a smile crossing over her mouth. ¡°Tell me my good man, since when does a mount treat his queen with such callous acts that make her heart jump a flutter as though she were in danger.¡± Andross grinned and brought his lips to her own to lightly kiss them. ¡°I¡¯m shocked at your words. I act this way for it is in my nature to do so for a beautiful lady.¡± He laughed gaily as she frowned, ¡°And of course the most beautiful of all ladies is this noble born woman who holds her head up high above me.¡± She brought herself out of her lean and held out her hands as though trying to grasp the sky. ¡°Onwards my loyal stead, for you have a date in a day that you must not be late to. Let it not be said that this countess allows her subordinates to be late to their pre-planned ceremonies.¡± ¡°As you will, mademoiselle.¡± ~~~~ ¡°What was that?¡± The Producer banged her fist against her wooden desk and Stacy flinched, ¡°WHAT WAS THAT?¡± Stacy tried to stay calm in front of her mother¡¯s rage. She had seen her mother in worse moods before but it had still been a long time since she last saw her angry face. She popped a bubble with the chewing gum she had in her mouth and lightly wrapped her mother¡¯s fist in her hands. ¡°Relax ma, Andross asked me to dance didn¡¯t he? He didn¡¯t ask her.¡± The Producer angrily pulled her fist out of Stacy¡¯s hands and pointed her finger at Stacy¡¯s chest. ¡°That little upstart.¡± She poked her finger into Stacy¡¯s chest harshly ¡°She just comes in and takes your role while she parades around you and you let her. It wasn¡¯t you that left the set wrapped around Andross Silver¡¯s arms was it?¡± Stacy sighed. Her mother wouldn¡¯t stop her ranting for a while. She was well and truly pissed at Sasha Ferrier. And it was true that although she had danced perfectly with Andross Silver in the end it had been Sasha that had left with him. ¡°DO you know how many strings I had to pull to get you that part?¡± ¡°Yes ma but-¡± ¡°There are no buts here Stacy.¡± Stacy shivered under her mother¡¯s glare. ¡°We are Olen¡¯s Stacy! And we don¡¯t give up until we get what we want. What we deserve. We don¡¯t lose, especially to some little disabled girl with pretty eyes and a famous boyfriend.¡± ¡®It¡¯s not just a famous boyfriend. It¡¯s THE famous boyfriend.¡¯ Stacy couldn¡¯t help but think to herself. Even Treffle had acted like a young boy being pampered when talking to Andross and he was a world renowned director for both his work and his fiery and unmanageable temper. Andross Silver was someone that was way beyond the level she would ever be at. She let a small sigh escape from her lips. They had looked so cute together when they were leaving the studio. ¡°This isn¡¯t something you sigh about.¡± Her mother continued her tirade, ¡°I didn¡¯t hide my identity as your mother for all these years just so that your first big role could be stolen right before my eyes.¡± ¡°But what are we going to do about it ma?¡± Stacy knew the only way that her mother was going to get over her little rampage was if she played along with her. ¡°You aren¡¯t going to do anything Stacy. Leave this to mommy now.¡± The Producer pulled a filed out of a drawer and smiled sweetly as she placed it on top of the desk. Stacy curiously looked over the contents and her look slowly turned into one of horror. This wasn¡¯t information her mother was supposed to have access to.
Best of Best Account Details: Sasha Ferrier: IGN: Mademoiselle Class: None Level: 15 Location: Capital city of Marcades, Trinim
¡°There¡¯s more than one way to crush a bug Stacy. Luckily for us she registered her Best of Best account details with me so that we would know that she is using the time ratio to study and practice her lines.¡± The Producer grinned, it was she that had called the cast together today and made sure that Stacy had thoroughly practiced the dance routine so that when Sasha failed in front of Treffle, Sasha would face the blame and Stacy would conveniently be there to fill in for her and show her superiority. It was a slight miscalculation that Mark would be the one to underperform but it was of no matter to her. The Producer intended to call Sasha to work every day until she was too tired to move. No person could handle being overworked while coupling an online training schedule and a crippling disease. ¡°No matter how strong somebody is they can¡¯t handle being crushed in three different areas at once.¡± ¡°Three?¡± Stacy could see how her mother intended to attack Sasha from work and from her virtual life, ¡°What¡¯s the last area.¡± ¡°Of course every girl relies on her social life to keep her afloat. No girl¡¯s mental state will be destroyed until you first undo the foundations of her defence.¡± The Producer looked at her daughter and eyed her well-endowed chest and pretty grey eyes, she also had a slim body and tight thighs and well-rounded hips, ¡°You¡¯re a born man eater Stacy, put those gifts to good use and seduce Andross Silver for me would you? He goes to the same school as you, does he not?¡± ¡°But-¡± Stacy couldn¡¯t see herself talking to Andross Silver let alone seducing him. ¡°No buts Stacy. We will crush this girl and then you¡¯ll get this part. Being in one of Treffle¡¯s series is guaranteeing you fame and stardom. We will crush this little bitch whether she likes it or not and nothing is going to stop us. Now go. Surely even you can think of some way to seduce that man. He¡¯s a hot actor, he can¡¯t be too bright.¡± Stacy left the room in a huff and the Producer took another memo out of a drawer.
If you¡¯re looking for a player killer near Mademoiselle I recommend Orion since she¡¯s in the area and well known for accepting any job for the right price.
The Producer scowled. She had looked up this Orion and the foolish girl had somehow managed to get herself captured in a town called Obsten or something like that. The Producer intended to harass Sasha in her real life but if she simply escaped to the virtual world to practice her lines then it was no use. She would have to crush the young actress in both worlds and the best way to do that would be to hire a player killer to harass her whenever she logged online. Unfortunately there were no other players that she could contact to dispose of Sasha¡¯s in game avatar. It wasn¡¯t easy trying to convince players to kill other players. But thankfully, paying them to save someone was far easier. It was a job that required money and when it came to negotiations this was her element. ¡°Well now.¡± She smiled to herself and looked around the room. ¡°It looks like we¡¯re going to have to organise ourselves a little prison break.¡± ~~~~ ¡°You truly are a magnificent creature.¡± The Archemage of Fire, Quilbur, was gazing at the monster in front of him. Since their last encounter Tafrec the Undying had fully recovered from his injuries and the bones which had been exposed before were covered in luxurious scales of the highest quality. Its skeletal head had remained a skeleton and Quilbur couldn¡¯t help but feel that it was like that originally. ¡°Tell me your secrets my good pet. Or else I shall have wasted my time for naught.¡± He was currently observing the creature¡¯s habits in the hopes of discovering some sort of weakness. The monsters of Best of Best had alarmingly strange habits when it came to interacting with the life around them. Sometimes the strongest of creatures would cower in fear at the site of a lower levelled monster despite there being no obvious reason for it doing so. Some simply keeled over after eating certain types of plants. As a creature that had lived underground for centuries and had never seen the light of the sun until it had escaped a few days ago Quilbur was certain that every step Tafrec took would be a cautious one and that just maybe it would reveal some sort of weakness. ¡®It truly is an interesting creature Archemage. Just by looking at it I seem to get the feeling that nature will never cease to surprise me.¡¯ A melodic voice called out to Quilbur and he turned around to find himself staring at a pair of dark blue eyes and a head of wavy black hair. The woman in front of him was skinny and clad in a white dress, her feet were bare. She could be no more than twenty years old, at the least eighteen or nineteen. ¡°And who might you be my fair lady? This mode of speaking would indicate that you are an angel, but I know their kind does not roam this far into the land.¡± She girl let out a joyful laugh, ¡®I am known by the people of this land as the Blessed Smith traveler. I have come bearing news of the Shadow Mask Mercenary King and a quest for you. I have watched his travels through my creation and know that you are one of his companions.¡¯ ¡®So the sword we picked up was one of the famous Blessed Smith¡¯s ones eh?¡¯ Quilbur smiled to himself, his friend truly was an incredibly lucky man. ¡°Of course, I am honoured to meet you my lady. I see that that some lucky young lady has picked up one of your creations.¡± It was a well-known fact that the Blessed Smith took the form of the last person to pick up one of her creations, he had half expected her to be in Andross¡¯ form but Quilbur supposed that she didn¡¯t take male forms, ¡°You say that you bring forth a quest for me yet I cannot bring myself to meet with my companion so soon after parting with him. It would be breaking a promise I hold very dear to my heart.¡± She smiled and her joy seemed to light up the nature around them, ¡®Fear not Archemage for you will serve to help your ally in a different way, one that will not require you to meet directly with Shadow Mask or to break your promise of meeting with him before he is powerful enough to lead you. For I know that he will require your help soon and that is why I have chosen to gather you to aid him in his battle.¡¯ ¡°If I may help my friend in his time of need without breaking my promise then I would be happy to oblige. But if you would excuse my question,¡± He looked at her happy face, ¡°whom do you mean to call to arms, for I have gathered from your words that I am not the sole person to whom you are asking this favour.¡± Before the Blessed Smith could respond a familiar face and pair of skinny arms appeared from behind her and the new arrival smirked as he viewed the suddenly expression of annoyance that had crossed Quilbur¡¯s face. ¡°Your words are still as large and grand as your stomach, if you¡¯re going to try and impress a lady you have to let her know you¡¯re not going to eat her on the first date.¡± ¡®I am aware that you are already acquainted with one another.¡¯ The Blessed Smith looked from one player to another, ¡®I wish you luck on your quest travelers.¡¯ A quest message appeared in front of Astros and Quilbur and they smiled as they read the contents. There was no hesitation in their movements or their words as they spoke simultaneously. ¡°I accept your request.¡± Author''s note: Unfortunately i do not have much time between releasing chapters to get them PR''d so if you spot any mistakes feel free to point them out :) Write them in the comments below and I will get to them as soon as I can. Stat tables: Stat tables are going to get big soon and with the added enchantments coming into effect when he reaches low hp (which he probably will, i''ll let you read on later ;-) ) I will be happy if you guys want to correct any mistakes in the stat tables which will be appearing next chapters and in later chapters. Again do this through comments as i hardly ever check forum pm''s Chapter 7: Freeing Private Orion Part 1 Sasha grinned as she logged onto Best of Best. She received a message from the system and closed it. It was just the greeting message for logging on. She looked around her and saw that although she was still in the same grassy plains that she had been in before but her teammates hadn¡¯t logged in yet. She glanced around and saw some baby treants roaming the grassy plain. ''Well they should be here soon so I might as well kill some monsters.'' *crack* Sasha flinched and jumped back as the ground around her started to crack and break, dirt flying upwards as something small flew out of it. A massive hole had been created in the ground right were she had been standing a moment earlier. ¡°Mademoiselle?¡± A girl had appeared in front of her. She was incredibly slim but she held a very big and threatening broadsword in her hands. Sasha couldn''t help but think that the girl had a calming air around her, as though she were a small dog to be petted instead of a vicious warrior. It wasn¡¯t the nice kind of aura that Andross let out when he saw her, full of loving and kindness but instead something that seemed to call for her to look after and cherish the girl in front of her. ¡°Err,¡¯ Sasha looked closely at the newcomer and saw that the girl was wearing incredibly shiny armour and didn¡¯t seem at all affected by the dirt that she had just come out of. Her black hair was flowing over her shoulders and slipping around the steel shoulder plates it rested on. She looked like some sort of knight that was trying to save a damsel in distress from a terrible monster. ¡®She has the most beautiful green eyes.¡¯ Sasha had never seen the girl before but Andross had told her about the events from two days before. She hadn¡¯t expected to see any of his companions in the grassy plains outside of Trinim but unless green eyes and broadswords were a common combination then this girl was almost definitely the player known as Serena. ¡®Umm, how did Gold describe her?¡¯ His exact words were something like, ¡°She¡¯s pretty quiet, but she gets crazy when she starts fighting.¡± ¡°Hello?¡± Sasha¡¯s eyes widened and she cried out as Serena appeared in front of her. The girl gave a small shriek as Sasha suddenly reacted and stepped back from her. She had walked up to Sasha after she had been lost in thought and stopped talking and Sasha hadn¡¯t noticed her at all. Sasha giggled a little bit at Serena¡¯s reaction and the girl giggled along with her. It was as if all the tension in the air had instantly disappeared and the two were already friends. ¡°Mademoiselle?¡± Sasha frowned slightly and nodded as Serena called her by her username again, ¡®Gold didn¡¯t mention telling anybody about me¡¯. Serena seemed relieved at her confirmation and walked up to Sasha again, a little more carefully this time just in case the girl suddenly let out another cry. ¡°Um, I¡¯m going to help you.¡± Serena nervously shuffled her feet as she faced Sasha. She had curiosity written all over her face and it was clear to Sasha that she expected some sort of answer from her. Sasha had no idea what she was talking about. So she decided to do what she always did and go straight to the point. ¡°Help me? What do you mean?¡± ¡°Um, a lady that looked like you,¡± Serena waved her hands in an outline of Serena¡¯s figure, ¡°except with black hair and dark blue eyes.¡± Andross had mentioned this lookalike, the Blessed Smith that had given him the quest to free the player killer Orion, ¡°She asked me to stay with you for the next day. She said you know Commoner.¡± ¡°Yes I do know Commoner but, stay with me? Why would she want you to stay with me?¡± Serena¡¯s eyes widened slightly and Sasha could see that she had been hoping Sasha could elaborate for her. Sasha flicked a lock of her blonde hair behind her ear as she grew slightly irritated. She had no way to contact Andross since they were both in Best of Best and hadn¡¯t registered each other as friends yet. As far as she knew she had no connection at all with the quest that he was currently doing. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. She looked like you so, um, that means you have one of her items?¡± As though it could hear Serena¡¯s words a staff made of white metal that Sasha had recently been given appeared in her hands and she felt a small pang of guilt tugging at her heart. She hadn¡¯t told Andross that she¡¯d gotten a weapon similar to his own but she¡¯d been meaning to. Once he wasn¡¯t busy with his quest. ¡°Yeh like that,¡± Serena nodded her head to herself as though confirming some inner thoughts, ¡°The lady always looks like the last person to pick up one of her things. She asked me to-¡± ¡°Hang on,¡± Sasha quickly interrupted Serena and the girl shut her mouth to listen to the confident girl in front of her, ¡°She changes her form to the last person that picked up one of her items?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± ¡®But Gold said that she had told him that she transformed into one of the loved ones of the person she was talking to.¡¯ ¡°So she doesn¡¯t look like one of the loved ones of the person she¡¯s talking to?¡± Serena cocked her head to the side and her smooth hair slid further over her shoulder plate, ¡°Don¡¯t think so.¡± She thought for a second and nodded to herself again, ¡°Yup. Unless she doesn¡¯t want to, then she looks like an old woman.¡± Sasha stared at the staff in front of her. She had been killing baby treants in the outskirts of Trinim when an old lady wearing a white dress had approached her and told her she had the characteristics of a great priestess. Sasha had apologized and said that she had no money to spare but the old lady had simply laughed in a melodious voice and handed her a staff made of a metallic substance that gleamed white. Sasha had logged out after that without equipping the weapon since she wanted to wake up before Andross and shower before going to bed. It was clear now that the old lady had been the Blessed Smith and that straight after handing her the staff she had gone to Andross to give him the quest. ¡®What are you planning?¡¯ ¡°What did she ask you to do?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good question. Mind if I join in the conversation?¡± Sasha and Serena turned and found themselves facing a muscular man wearing expensive looking armour. Sasha noted that he wasn¡¯t the nice kind of muscular that Andross was but instead a burly and mean looking type. His face was pretty dull as well with several scars and a mean glare coming from his eyes. His appearance contrasted with the nice looking armour he was wearing. It was a jumble of silver and gold plates that shone bright enough as it reflected the sunlight to be seen from a mile away. He looked like some sort of bandit or robber that had gotten lucky and killed a knight or noble at some point. The girls tensed and both equipped their weapons. ¡°Woah relax.¡± As he raised his hands Sasha got a better look at him. He had a face that looked like it had been hit quite a few times and was fairly unattractive in general and his eyes were a dull brown. He frowned and the girl¡¯s couldn¡¯t help but think that it made his face uglier than it already was. ¡°Something went wrong somewhere. I¡¯m not here to hurt you.¡± He took a step towards the girls and Serena blurred before appearing in front of him with her broadsword dropping down onto his head. Her shiny steel armour and chain vest jangled against each other as she flew through the air. *Clang* The man leant backwards as Serena¡¯s broadsword swung towards him and he grunted. He had materialized a weapon at the last second to block the attack. Sasha recognized the white metal which she had seen both in pictures Andross had made her look up and from her own weapon which she had gained. It was one of the Blessed Smith¡¯s creations just as his was. The man saw the staff in her hand in her hand and grinned. Serena had stopped attacking as well and jumped away from the man as he waved his own legendary sword at her. Serena had calmed down as soon as she saw the sword but she still looked ready to attack the man at any second. ¡°The name¡¯s Titan.¡± He grinned. ¡°And I¡¯m here to guard your life.¡± ¡°So you were sent to me by the Blessed Smith as well?¡± The man nodded and Serena walked back to Sasha¡¯s side. She had seen from that small clash that she was no match for the man in front of her and Sasha could see that both were completely out of her league in terms of fighting. ¡®These are people that should be killing monsters not standing here and talking with me.¡¯ ¡°So,¡± she looked at the new arrival and noted that despite his appearance he was emitting a relatively calm and happy aura. She didn¡¯t feel threatened in his presence at all after the initial shock of his sudden appearance ¡°no chance the Blessed Smith told you why you have to come here?¡± The man shrugged, ¡°The Blessed Smith only told me two things, first that your name was Mademoiselle and then she put your location in my mind.¡± Sasha raised her eyebrows, she hadn¡¯t gotten a quest yet but Andross had mentioned the same thing being done to him ¡°And the second thing?¡± ¡°That in a few hours a lot of strong people are going to try and kill you.¡± ~~~~ ¡°Orion has logged back in sir.¡± Chapman smiled and he sheathed his sword. The player that had been lying in front of him instantly disappeared as the last of his health vanished. He would re-spawn in the dungeon cells and would be killed over and over again if he kept refusing to join the guild. ¡°Thanks.¡± The guild member saluted and left the room. Chapman took his time getting out of his swivel chair. There was no need to rush to the dungeons when his prey wasn¡¯t going anywhere. Besides, he had other methods to communicate with her. He stretched his arms from side to side and yawned, opening his friends list with his thoughts. He found the name he was looking for and sent the player a private message. ¡°How do you enjoy living in a world of darkness?¡± ¡°If you get all mystic and voodoo on me I¡¯ll just log out until the executions over.¡± The sharp reply came immediately over the private message system and he grinned. He had made it so that only his avatar could be messaged while Orion was in her prison. She must have been pretty pissed when she found out that she couldn¡¯t message any of her teammates or comrades. ¡°I¡¯m just kidding! I¡¯m not one of those people that get so into the game that their speech warps. I¡¯m in it for the money just like you are. We¡¯re basically kindred spirits if you think about it like that.¡± ¡°I think I just vomited a little bit in my mouth.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll apply to your reason.¡± He heard her cough in disgust but continued speaking, ¡°Don¡¯t be silly Orion, you know as well as I do that the moment you log in after missing the execution time you¡¯ll die a hundred times over on the spot.¡± It was a security measure put in place by the game so that users couldn¡¯t simply log out when their execution or other sentence was scheduled. Chapman smiled as he heard Orion spit at her cell floor and was giddy physically as he imagined the small act of rebellion in his mind. The players that he trapped in a cell always had something to say to him when he came over and it always interested him to see what they would do next. It was a nice little sympathy gift for them, after all, in the end he would be the one having the last laugh. He had already begun to walk towards the lower guild levels where her cell was located. He could hear the yelling of prisoners as they threw swear words and curses at him. He smiled and gave each prisoner a small wave, their orange jumpsuits were the only thing visible to him as he had long ago stopped looking at their angry faces. ¡°I¡¯ll have the satisfaction of seeing your face when I watch your live stream and see no one being led up to the execution stand. How do you think your fans will react when they come for a show and get nothing?¡± His smile fell slightly as Orion uttered those words. She knew that he intended to stream the event live on the forums for all to see but it would all be ruined if she didn¡¯t turn up. But his smile formed again as he passed by a small clump of cells and saw the occupants inside. He had a trump card up his sleeve. ¡°You know it¡¯s really a pity about your teammates,¡± He waited a few seconds but Orion didn¡¯t speak, ¡°Even after we told them what had happened and showed them the video footage they refused to believe that you had betrayed them, so we had to lock them in the cells, after all, they were associated with a known traitor and we couldn¡¯t risk them trying to break you out.¡± ¡°They had noth-¡± ¡°It would be a pity,¡± Chapman immediately cut her off, ¡°if they tried to escape while they were there, perhaps a friendly guard offers them a way out and they¡¯re desperate enough to take it. Maybe we simply tell them they can go free but it wasn¡¯t actually approved. We might have to kill them just as much as we¡¯re going to do to you if something like that happened. And in a game like this where there¡¯s only one account per person it would be a darn shame for something like that to happen.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a bastard you know that?¡± Chapman smiled as he sensed the defeat in her voice, ¡°I¡¯m so glad that you¡¯re going to be staying for your execution Orion. You know we actually expect to pull in quite the number of viewers for this little event. It¡¯s not every day that you get to see one of the twelve legendary swords live. We even hired extra security to guard the plaza. Who knows what fools might try to grab the sword the moment it decides to abandon you.¡± As he entered the back cells he got a good look at his prize prisoner, Orion, and turned off his private messaging system to talk to her out loud. As he began to speak she lifted her head up and he got a good look at her cloudy hazel eyes. They were filled with such rage that if he hadn¡¯t been standing over her locked up body then he would have stepped back in fear. She had shackles attached to her ankles and wrists and a collar was wrapped around her neck. All of them were attached to the wall behind her by chains. ¡°It really was helpful that you added me to your friend list. I feel so honored to be part of such a small group.¡± Orion¡¯s ebony hair seemed to shimmer as she shook her head at his small provocation. He smiled. The ones that weren¡¯t easy to break were always enjoyable to play with, but he was here on different business. He motioned with his hands and the two guards that were watching over the floor exited outside. The cells had been full of players the day before but in order to keep Orion from spilling their plan to grab the sword to others, not to mention their treasonous act of killing the expedition members, they had isolated her area from all other users. Her guards were slightly lower leveled but they were all completely loyal to the Sunfire guild. ¡°Well I¡¯m just here to explain the basic plan for today¡¯s event.¡± She seemed more surprised than angry at his words, ¡°What? Were you thinking your job is to just get up there and die? That¡¯s no fun.¡± He looked down at her orange prisoner clothes and threw a somewhat see-through white cloth which could be wrapped from her shoulder and end laced around the top of her ankles. She looked in surprise at the cloth he handed to her. ¡°Do you know the meaning behind your name? Or did you just pick Orion because it sounded cool?¡± Orion didn¡¯t answer and Chapman sighed, he had suspected that she was one of those players that just picked any name they thought would sound good. ¡°That¡¯s no fun Orion, you see, if we¡¯re going to get viewers then we need some sort of gimmick, something that attracts the crowds to actually watch our stream over any others in the forum.¡± Orion frowned, ¡°And you came up with making me dress skimpily?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t deny the fact that you have a great body.¡± He viewed her, the jumpsuit covered her entire body but he knew from their time together on the expedition that she had supple breasts which would attract the more lecherous of the forum¡¯s viewers whilst her long legs and pretty face would also draw in the crowds, but he shook his head at her words, ¡°But it¡¯s definitely not about that. You see, we¡¯re going to be going from a different angle for this execution. Have you heard the story of Orion the hunter?¡± She shook her head. She knew she had to cooperate since there would be no benefit in her taking rebellion against him now. She silently listened to his words with her head down. ¡°Well he¡¯s basically the guy you picked your name from.¡± She cocked her head up at his words. ¡°I thought it was a constellation.¡± ¡°No, no, we¡¯ll get to that part.¡± Chapman was shaking his head, ¡°Because Orion was a hunter you know, one so fearsome that every creature in the world feared extinction if he were to seriously try to go on the hunt. That¡¯s where those clothes come in,¡± he pointed to the cloth he had handed her, ¡°it¡¯ll make you look like him and it¡¯s just lucky for us that you happen to be a player killer. So basically this Orion guy was a hunter just like you, and we¡¯re going to dress the town in these sorts of decorations like animal masks and stuff. For the kids you know?¡± he waved his hands in the air as he spoke as though illustrating what would happen, ¡°but then there¡¯s a special little gimmick involved.¡± He made sure she was listening for this part, ¡°Because you see, when Orion died he was turned into a constellation, also named Orion, and that¡¯s what we want to do with you when you die.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re going to try and turn me into a star or something?¡± His sandy hair bobbed as he nodded enthusiastically, ¡°It¡¯ll be a great show that only we can do. Because, when one of the legendary swords transfers from one owner to another a flash of light encompasses both of them. It¡¯s incredibly bright and lasts a good second or two so in that time we¡¯ll make you disappear, probably to the dungeon again or even let you go free, and we¡¯ve hired someone to make a hologram of a whole bunch of stars appearing in your place.¡± Orion¡¯s frown deepened, ¡°It sounds a little artsy fartsy for an execution. Why bother to go through all the flowery crap? You were threatening my teammate¡¯s lives like five minutes ago.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just good business Orion, I don¡¯t need to bother you as long as I know I¡¯ll get the sword and as long as you act defeated and all that crap then the audience will eat it up and we¡¯ll get a fair bunch of revenue from the live stream. Honestly we were planning to kill you either way since we needed someone to blame for the expedition member¡¯s deaths but that doesn¡¯t mean that we can¡¯t use that fact coupled with the appearance of a legendary sword to rake in the views. And of course if you try to tell anyone what we did we¡¯ll just deny it.¡± He tapped the side of his head, ¡°Video evidence and testimonies you know.¡± He entered a squat and looked at her in the eyes, ¡°That¡¯s the only item you¡¯re allowed to wear so I expect you to change into it as soon as we bring you out of this cell. Try to run way or attack anyone and your teammates die. It wouldn¡¯t be a good idea either way since we already have the live stream going to show the setting up of festivities and hype it up. The moment you try anything we¡¯ll report it and bring the camera to you. It¡¯ll just lead to us getting more views as people come looking to see some action.¡± The guards re-entered the dungeon and Chapman stood up. He started to walk towards the exit and put his hand up to wave to the prisoner behind him as he left. ¡°Either way you¡¯re going to die so you might as well just sit back and enjoy the ride.¡± ~~~~
You have logged back onto Best of Best. Current location: Outskirts of Obsten.
Commoner closed the window that had opened up in front of him after he had logged in and found that he was facing the edge of the cliff he had just recently thrown a sword over. Beyond the main road below the town of Obsten lay blurred in the distance, a good two hours away by walking. It was covered by a light fog that was slowly getting darker as the sun lowered on the horizon behind him. ¡°Oh me, oh my,¡± Commoner almost jumped out of his skin as a small yet firm voice called out to him, ¡°you¡¯re not supposed to come out of thin air like that sonny. You could have given this old man a heart attack.¡± As Commoner turned around he was surprised to see that the green clearing that had been empty when he left was completely filled by a large carriage that seemed more like a travelling hippy caravan with its red and yellow paint job than anything regal like you would see in vintage films. Two horses were calmly grazing and walking around what little clearing wasn¡¯t covered by the vehicle and in front of the carriage entrance an old man was sitting on a rocking chair and calmly rocking back and forward while looking at Commoner. ¡°Oh me, oh my, if it isn¡¯t the Shadow Mask Mercenary King himself, it appears that quite a big shot has appeared in front of us. Do take it easy on an old man such as myself. The old heart can only take so much excitement sonny.¡± Commoner cautiously stepped towards the man at the mention of his title. The old timer was incredibly short and covered in small clumps of muscles that looked long past their prime. It was as though he had been incredibly fit at some stage of his life but then had let himself go. The passage of time had clearly affected him badly as his skin was covered head to toe in wrinkles of the kind that developed after someone had been in the sun for most of their life. He was wearing denim shorts with suspenders strapped over his shoulders and looped around his chest. His torso was covered in a light blue short sleeved t-shirt and he was wearing a straw hat. To top it all off he was wearing socks and sandals. He was distinctly Asian in origin as Commoner noted the slightly slanted eyes and calm composure which often surrounded those of oriental birth. Commoner couldn''t help but think that the man looked like a mix between a country side bumpkin and an old man wearing kids clothing. He didn¡¯t seem threatening at all and Commoner could see from the person¡¯s posture that he didn¡¯t mean any harm. ¡®But then again, I¡¯ve been tricked about people¡¯s intentions a lot lately.¡¯
Be careful. This is Grandfather Time but I haven¡¯t told him anything about you so not sure why he¡¯s here. But if he wanted to kill you, you would probably be dead by now.
¡®Thanks for the encouraging words.¡¯ Except for his thoughts Commoner stayed silent at Carlos¡¯ private message. His Hispanic friend was watching his every move from the outside world via his recording device so that he could type his story as it went along. His reactions would become more delayed as more time passed and the time difference caught up to him. When viewing things from the game in the outside world the video would automatically slow down events to fit real life time and this would automatically cause a delay between what was happening inside the game and what the person outside was seeing because four seconds of video would be created for every one second of real life time spent in the game. Commoner walked closer to the old man but before he could ask any questions the man spat on the ground beside him. ¡°Well don¡¯t just stand there staring at me sonny-boy, come on in.¡± Grandfather Time knocked on the red and yellow door of his carriage and it creaked open. The inside was filled with darkness and Commoner hesitated a second before walking inside. He was unarmed and his only armour was his cloak which offered no protection at all, if he was going to be assassinated then now would be the time to do it. Instead of anything dangerous Commoner was surprised to find that the inside was spacious and filled with armours of different sizes and types. It was also well lit compared to what he had seen from outside the door. There were shields of green crystal and golden chest plates crusted with diamonds and other precious gems. It was an awe-inspiring sight for Commoner who had never seen even the most basic of armour to now be surrounded by hundreds of items of precious equipment. ¡®It¡¯s bigger on the inside.¡¯ Commoner could immediately tell that some sort of magic was at work. The carriage he had entered could not possibly have held all of this equipment. The room seemed big enough to hold an Olympic swimming pool or a library if Grandfather Time wished to put one in there. An old lady was staring at him from a counter and he walked up to her. ¡®This must be Grandma.¡¯ The old woman looked the same as the old man physically. She had wrinkled skin that had seen a lot of sunlight in its time and her features were distinctly Asian in appearance. She was wearing a set of plain bronze armour that strangely complemented her slightly tanned skin. Except for the slightly pointed lips and nose as well as longer hair he could have sworn that he was looking at Grandfather Time. She immediately held out a suit of armour towards him and he grasped it in his hands. ¡®Sheesh, these guys came prepared for me.¡¯ He looked at the armour in his hands. It was the same black colour as his velcro shirt and pants and felt like it was made of the same material. He tapped the armour with the intention of checking what it was and a window popped up in front of his eyes.
You have viewed the item: Pretty Damn Awesome Merc Armour. Stats: 35% Magic and Physical defence. Weight: 5kg, Description: This mercenary armour was designed by Grandma to be both lightweight and durable so that mercenaries can work agilely whilst also live against tough hits. Cost: 1000 gold coins.
¡®Holy crap, a thousand gold coins, these guys must be crazy.¡¯ He turned to Grandma, ¡°No chance you¡¯re giving me this armour for free?¡± ¡°No.¡± Commoner sighed, ¡®Open, status window: Money.¡±
You have 1000 gold coins, 50 silver coins and 78 bronze coins.
¡®Oh, I actually have a thousand gold coins.¡¯ He hadn¡¯t bothered to check his purse before but it seemed like he had actually gained a large sum of money from defeated the Guardian of the Sylvern Forest. He couldn¡¯t think of any other way to have earned such a large amount in the time he¡¯d been playing. The extra silver and bronze coins must have been from the kobolds. ¡°Grandma,¡± one of the first things Andross had been taught by his acting instructor was to always use a person¡¯s name when addressing them, it made them happier psychologically and more likely to do you favors or feel good in your company, ¡°no chance you can give me a discount? A thousand coins is a bit-¡± ¡°No.¡± It was an instant shut down. Commoner sighed and tried again. ¡°It¡¯s an incredibly lovely store you have here-¡± ¡°No.¡± She had denied him before he had even been able to make a new offer. She was clearly a shrewd businesswoman. Commoner peeked outside and saw that Grandfather Time was still sitting down calmly on his rocking chair. He stepped back inside the store towards the old lady. Commoner had other ways to deal with hard to crack female attendants. He sighed, ¡°very well, I can tell we¡¯ll be here a while so¡­¡± He slowly slipped off his cloak and purposely allowed it flow loose around his shoulders and drop to the ground, revealing the tight black velcro shirt and pants underneath. Since they already knew who he was there was no harm in allowing them to see his mask. ¡°Excuse me while I get comfortable.¡± He started stretching and allowed every single finely chiseled ab to ripple across his shirt and he forced his impeccable pecks to stand out more. He tightened his biceps for good measure and swung his hip around to allow the old woman to get a look as his firm butt, aptly titled ¡®Bootiest male booty¡¯ earlier that year in the most popular woman¡¯s magazine. ¡°Would you reconsider a simple hundred gold off of the price?¡± He smiled behind his mask to add to his arsenal of weapons pointed at the store woman, had the old lady been a normal foe she would have long ago fallen to his charms. ¡°No.¡± It was another instant shut down.
Take the offer.
The familiar ping of a message being received resounded in Commoner¡¯s ears and he read Carlos¡¯ message. It had taken a few minutes for him to send the message from the time he had seen Grandma offer him the armour from the recording device. Commoner sighed and as he pulled all of his money out of his inventory it appeared in the form of a large bag on the counter. He pushed it towards Grandma. ¡°Here you go, pleasure doing business with you.¡± Although he was sure he had been ripped off in some way he was ever the gentlemen as he left the carriage and found himself in the daylight of the outside world again. He trusted Carlos¡¯ words and he equipped the armour and then put his cloak over it. He felt almost no difference between wearing this new armour and his old clothing. ¡®Status window.¡¯
Status Screen
NameCommonerLevel64
ClassShadow Mask Mercenary KingFame2000
Health3000Mana400
Free Stat Points0Stamina10 + 30
Strength270 + 30Agility105 + 30
Vitality10 + 30Dexterity10 + 30
Intelligence10 + 30Wisdom10 + 30
Skills
Shadow StrikeWeapon Mastery
HideQuick Strike
Shadow Strengthening
[p=left]Mercenary Commissions: None[/p]
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°The armour¡¯s statistics won¡¯t show up on your status window.¡± Commoner turned around to face the old man and the old man grinned, ¡°It¡¯s not the same as your mask sonny boy.¡± Commoner thought about his armour and found that a new window opened up, listing his increased magic defence and physical defence. He also realised that his skills weren¡¯t listing their levels and experience. He decided to check one of his random skills. ¡®Check weapon mastery.¡¯
Weapon mastery: Skills available: Stick mastery.
¡®Check: Stick Mastery.¡±
Stick Mastery: Level 3. Experience until the next level: 87% The user will be granted 6% granted bonus damage when using a stick as a weapon.
¡°Oh me, oh my, you¡¯re going to need a lot more than just that if you want to defeat the Devil Mask mercenary king.¡± Commoner stared in surprise at Grandfather Time and the old man winked at him. He lifted himself off his rocking chair and the horses walked up to him, lowering their heads so that he could run his hands through their manes. ¡°But then again young one, it¡¯s not my place to tell you how to do your job. I believe you¡¯ve already guessed why I¡¯m here. After all,¡± he faced Commoner and the player felt a slight tingling sensation crawl down his spine, ¡°I can see that you received the same quest as us from the Blessed Smith.¡± ¡°So you also hold one of the legendary swords?¡± Grandfather time stroked at his chin and Commoner realized that there were wisps of white hair growing from it. Coupled with the man¡¯s straw hat it reminded him of the ancient martial arts masters he had seen prevalent in wuxia films and television shows. Grandfather Time shook his head at Commoner. ¡°Do not think to give away such delicate information to old stranger so easy sonny boy.¡± He lifted his hands in front of his face and a giant double sided hammer that was easily three times the old man¡¯s height appeared in them, it was made of the same white colour the legendary swords were and both hammer heads were engraved with intricate spiral designs, ¡°I hold a Warhammer made by the Blessed Smith. I have never been one for swords.¡± If he hadn¡¯t known that the material the weapons were made of weighed next to nothing Commoner would have been surprised that the old man could even carry the hammer let alone swing it around in a fight. Commoner equipped his own sword. ¡®Status window open.¡¯
Status Screen
NameCommonerLevel64
ClassShadow Mask Mercenary KingFame2000 + 5000
Health7000 + 7000Mana3400
Free Stat Points0Stamina10 + 330
Strength270 + 1330Agility105 + 330
Vitality10 + 330Dexterity10 + 330
Intelligence10 + 330Wisdom10 + 330
Skills
Shadow StrikeWeapon Mastery
HideQuick Strike
Shadow Strengthening
[p=left]Mercenary Commissions: None[/p]
Commoner quickly un-equipped the sword but kept the status window open. It still held the stats he had gained from the sword and would continue to do so until he closed it. Just by looking at them he could tell that while he held the sword he was immeasurably more powerful than he was seconds earlier. If he took into account the extra Strength points alone then he had gained two hundred and sixty levels worth of stat points in that area. Taking into account all the other stats including increased health points and he was many levels higher than he had been before. Except for Agility and Vitality almost all the other stats had no effect on him or affected him negatively. He had almost no use for Intelligence as it raised his mana pool and none of his skills needed large mana requirements since they used his shadow instead and Wisdom was meant to lower cast time for spells but he had no spells with large cast times. Vitality was helpful as it increased the amount of health he regenerated per five seconds. He would regenerate three hundred and forty health points per five seconds since he had 340 stat points in Vitality. The increased health points given by the sword would also be a large help in increasing his tanking abilities. It was a sword worthy of being called ¡®Vitality¡¯. Agility would of course allow him to move faster and dodge attacks easily. The increased fame was the only detriment he could see but it didn¡¯t matter when he would soon be getting rid of the sword. ¡°Hmm, good, good, I suppose you will have to be the one that goes into the dungeon to free the girl then. Unfortunately you are too weak to handle all the guards at the execution stand at once. You seem strong enough to handle anybody below their guild leader¡¯s level in a one on one fight. Just one shot the guards in the dungeon. They should all be lower levelled peons since the strong guild members will be on the top.¡± The old man had somehow managed to sneak beside Commoner and was looking intently at his status window. Commoner was slightly troubled by this since stat windows and other message windows were supposed to be invisible to all other players except the ones receiving them. The old man had also known about his quest to kill the Devil Mask mercenary king. ¡°How are you doing that?¡± ¡°No.¡± Commoner turned around and saw that Grandma was standing behind him. He realized he was blocking the door and moved to the side so that she could jump down onto the ground in front of him. The two old people barely came up to his waist and he couldn¡¯t help but think that they made a fitting couple for each other. He frowned slightly as Grandma¡¯s answer registered in his mind. ¡°No? I¡¯m not allowed to know?¡± Grandfather Time chuckled, ¡°You¡¯ll probably find out eventually. It¡¯s not a very well-guarded secret. Now then sonny, we should get going or else we¡¯ll be late.¡± He clicked on Commoner¡¯s status window and it blurred and a new window opened up in its place.
You have been requested to save the traitor Orion from the Orbsten dungeons. Difficulty: B. Description: Orion, the owner of the legendary sword, Mortality, has been captured by a guild that wishes to have the swords power for their own use. Save Orion and lead her to an area that is safe from the guild. Time left until execution: 8 hours 56 minutes.
¡°You took quite a bit of time getting here. We were getting worried that you wouldn¡¯t be coming. Worrying is bad for people my age you know, since we could have a stroke at any time.¡± ¡®The old man¡¯s right. I don¡¯t have time to worry about his abilities.¡¯ After returning with Sasha from work they had spent the last day and several more hours working out his plan of attack. They had come to the conclusion that unless someone provided some sort of distraction then he would be doomed to fail in the rescue. Nevertheless he had memorized the entire guild building structure and the location to the dungeons as well as places guards were most likely to be. ¡°How long do you think it will take to get to Obsten if we take your carriage?¡± Grandfather Time shook his head and his straw hat bobbed along with it. ¡°Not a good idea sonny boy, 3 hours walking. Two hours by horse. We don¡¯t take the carriage or else the guards will notice us.¡± ¡®Of course, these two are ranked in the lower 800¡¯s so they¡¯re probably too famous to not be noticed.¡¯ ¡°Then we¡¯ll have an hour to get the girl out of there and run away.¡± Grandfather Time cocked his head in confusion at Commoner and he elaborated, ¡°There¡¯s about fifty players coming to reinforce the town¡¯s defenses and they¡¯ll arrive exactly four hours before the execution. I want to be in and out of there in an hour and have another hour to spare so that we can run away from them, if we¡¯re taking the horses that is.¡± Grandfather Time nodded as soon as Commoner had finished talking and a loud roaring sound resounded throughout the clearing and the carriage disappeared with a small pink box left in its place. Grandma bent over to pick it up and Grandfather Time began walking towards the horses, ¡°Well then we better get going sonny boy, do you know how to ride a horse?¡± Commoner smiled. ¡°As a matter of fact I do.¡± Commoner climbed into the free horse and Grandma jumped behind Grandfather Time. He wrapped his legs around the animal¡¯s sides and grabbed onto the reigns loosely. The horses immediately set off without instruction and Commoner was content to feel the breeze rustling through his cloak. The new armour seemed to allow him to feel the wind as though it were touching his bare skin. He gazed behind him and saw that the sun was already lowering in the sky. By the time they reached Obsten it would be nighttime. ~~~~ The burly man gazed at the peeling walls of the building and at its rusty metal door. The thing looked like it had been built a century ago and even the dark of the night couldn¡¯t hide its deadly metal splinters. A single, pale lamp let off a small amount of light and the man looked from the uninviting entrance to the two people behind him. ¡°This place? Are you sure?¡± One of them, a girl with black hair and green eyes, nodded her head while keeping her eyes fixed on the floor. She hadn¡¯t said a word since she had met up with the man. He looked to the hooded figure next to her who also nodded their head and he sighed. He opened the door and winced as the metal shrieked in protest, a blast of warm air hit his body and he noticed that the inside of the building was a lot cozier than the outside. A pretty girl with her hair curled into two ponytails approached the trio and smiled sweetly, ¡°Please feel free to take a seat anywhere you¡¯d like.¡± The man moved towards the fireplace but the cloaked figure grabbed at his side to get his attention and then moved towards a piano that was occupying the corner of the room. Although the establishment had seemed rugged and derelict form the outside once they had gone in the man had immediately noticed the sweet smell home-made cooking wafting through the air and it was accompanied by the sound of music emanating from the piano they were walking towards. ¡°You play a good tune.¡± The man called out to the pianist as he walked towards him. The man¡¯s companions took their seats at a wooden table nearby as the man approached the pianist. The restaurant was empty except for themselves and the staff so he felt free to interrupt the song. To his surprise the pianist continued playing but turned his head to face the newcomer. The man could see that the pianist was quite old, probably in his forties or fifties. He was wearing a cowboy hat and had an enourmous bushel of hair growing on top of his lips which could only be described as some sort of horseshoe moustache. ¡°The name¡¯s Titan.¡± Titan casually introduced himself and the man grinned, ¡°Good evening customer, ma name¡¯s T. J Barnacus and I am the owner of this fine restaurant.¡± ¡°But you play so good that I thought you were a professional pianist.¡± Barnacus laughed heartily at Titan¡¯s compliment and finished the last notes of the song he was playing. Although Titan had thought that the song had seemed sad at first he realized as the song ended that at some point it had turned into a melody of hope. It was quite a nice tune. ¡°You know,¡± Titan gazed at the squashed nose and dull brown eyes of T. J Barnacus, ¡°you seem a little strong for someone that¡¯s in charge of a small, err, pretty place like this.¡± ¡°The word yer looking for is antiquated. It cost me a pretty penny to buy a place as lovely as this. I used ta be an adventurer just like you, but I¡¯ve settled down now. Would yer like anything to eat? Sally.¡± He waved to the girl and she approached the table. Her fair hair was glimmering in the lamp and fire light that was illuminating the restaurant. Titan took one last look at T. J Barnacus before sitting down with his two companions at the table. ¡°You two want anything?¡± They shook their heads and as the waitress approached he smiled at her and she gave a look which was a cross between ¡®ew don¡¯t look at me¡¯ and ¡®I¡¯m just here to serve you, nothing special¡¯ she placed a menu in front of him and he skimmed through it. ¡°Steak and fries please.¡± Sally curtly nodded and disappeared behind the counter. He turned back towards the Barnacus and brought out his most prized possession, a sword made of a metal which seemed to gleam white in the light. It was one of the twelve legendary swords of the Blessed Smith but Barnacus barely registered it as Titan waved it casually in the air. ¡°This here restaurant¡¯s a peaceful establishment, I¡¯ma have to ask ya to leave if yer going to be swinging weapons around in the air.¡± Serena giggled a little at the owner¡¯s words and Titan shamefacedly put the sword onto his lap. He had been hoping to get some sort of recognition from the old man. Instead he turned to face the screens which had been placed on the wall at the other side of the room. It was technology that seemed out of place in a restaurant that had a rural and fantasy setting but they displayed exactly what the trio had come to see. A town filled with lights and smiling children running around while wearing animal masks was displayed on the screen. It was the town of Obsten in the middle of festivities. A small number was displayed in white at the bottom left of the scene. 6h 29m ¡°Only six hours left until the execution begins. What do you think¡± he glanced at the hooded figure, ¡°Mademoiselle?¡± The figure turned to face him but didn¡¯t give a reply. Since he had told her about his reason for joining her she hadn¡¯t spoken much. Of course, he hadn¡¯t had much information to share with her either. He had been visiting Trinim when he had been approached by a beautiful girl, the Blessed Smith, and had been given directions in his mind on how to meet with a certain player and a quest to guard the player who was known as Mademoiselle. He had met up with her as well as the green eyed girl, she called herself Serena, and Mademoiselle had asked them to escort her to this restaurant to watch the execution of some girl in Obsten. Apparently this execution would give them some clue as to why she would be attacked in a few hours. ¡°I think,¡± Titan lifted his eyebrows as she began to speak. ¡°That this is going to be a very interesting show to watch.¡± He was about to reply but Sally returned carrying a plate of chips and the smallest steak he had ever seen. He hadn¡¯t even gotten any onions or salt. He thanked the waitress but she simply moved back to greet some more customers that had entered through the door. The restaurant would probably start filling as the execution time grew closer. It was extremely rare to be able to see a legendary sword and depending on who gained control of it the power of the entire continent could shift in their favour. Many guilds would be keeping a close eye on events as they unfolded. One of the adventurers saw Titan and his eyes widened as they saw the sword that was resting on his lap. He grinned and the adventurer quickly moved to the other side of the room and motioned for his teammates to do the same. They broke into loud whispers as soon as they had sat down and shot furtive glances at him. His grin widened with each glance. ¡®It¡¯s always nice to be recognized.¡¯ ¡°Idiot?¡± He glanced in surprise as Serena spoke to him for the first time. The word had been phrased more as a question than an insult. She was watching the group of adventurers that were whispering and looked troubled. The hooded figure nodded at her words. ¡°I agree with her, you want everyone in the city to come and try to kill you? You can¡¯t defend me if every guild in town comes looking to take that sword from you.¡± Titan¡¯s grin had faded and was replaced with a frown, ¡°Relax, I¡¯m well known. Nobody would try to attack us.¡± The girls both turned away from him to look at the screen without considering his words and he frowned. ¡®And I thought hanging around with two hot chicks would be fun.¡¯ ~~~~ ¡°That¡¯ll be two silver coins each if you want to enter.¡± Commoner¡¯s horse strutted to a halt as the town guard approached them but Grandfather Time and Grandma¡¯s horse simply pranced onwards as they threw their silver coins into the air and the guard deftly caught them in mid-air. Commoner decided to throw the coins to the guard as well and consciously pushed the hood further over his face. Even if he was on a quest he still had to be careful that nobody recognized him. He was currently in a town that was run by a guild notorious for recruiting players by any means necessary. He let his horse walk slowly down the main street towards the execution stand as he thought about what he knew of the Sunfire guild. According to both research and the discussion he had had with Grandfather Time on the way to Obsten, the Sunfire guild was currently ranked 15 in the continent. The rankings were determined through various factors including number of members and relative strength of members, but it was generally accepted that to be ranked within the top 20 you have to be a pretty strong guild capable of fighting on par with the rest of the world¡¯s guilds. Currently only six of the ten continents were populated and the reason Commoner hadn¡¯t seen many races other than humans was because the nearby area he had landed in was ruled by a human king who was slightly racist. The king had declared that several races had to pay increased taxes and register themselves upon their arrival at certain major towns or the capital city Trinim. The Sunfire guild itself had about a hundred people stationed in Obsten but the rest were either in nearby outposts looking out for Commoner to arrive or they were simply exploring and levelling up as most players normally do. That had meant that there were only two types of players left to guard the execution stand and Orion inside the dungeon, the kind that wasn¡¯t trusted to leave the city without deserting the guild and the kind that were strong and loyal enough to entrust positions of power to. ¡®Open quest: Orion¡¯ He had discovered that if he simply thought of a key word related to the quest like the word ¡®Orion¡¯ then he could easily open the window for it.
You have been requested to save the traitor Orion from the Orbsten dungeons. Difficulty: B. Description: Orion, the owner of the legendary sword, Mortality, has been captured by a guild that wishes to have the swords power for their own use. Save Orion and lead her to an area that is safe from the guild. Time left until execution: 5 hours 36 minutes.
It had taken a little longer than they expected to reach Obsten but Grandfather Time had been confident that he and Grandma could handle anybody the Sunfire guild had hired or sent to guard the execution stand. As far as the intelligence went the only people that could hope to come lose to bringing them trouble would be the rank #5051 Samurai or the guild leader, Chapman, who was ranked #11783. ¡°Well then sonny boy, you have half an hour, maybe more but assume less.¡± Commoner¡¯s thoughts went flying out the window as he looked up and realized that their horses had already reached the execution platform. It was far smaller than he had expected it to be, a simple platform only half a meter high and built to look exquisite rather than durable. Carvings of various monsters being slain had been engraved in the wood and the floor of the platform. In the middle of the platform was a large guillotine and its blade viciously shone in the moonlight. Various lights had been placed on four small poles that jutted out of each corner of the platform. ¡®Samurai.¡¯ Commoner hadn¡¯t seen the high ranked player before today but it was easy to spot him. A slender man in a black kimono with silver sword symbols etched into its material was walking to and from one end of the stand to another as though he were pacing impatiently. He had his black hair done in a top knot hair style and he was wearing sandals similar to the old mans. Despite his get-up he looked distinctly western in appearance but the most prominent give away was the fact that six large swords of different varieties were floating around his head and swirling around him. It was as if each sword had a life of its own and occasionally two or more would clash into each other and have a short fight with each other, to the delight of the bystanders watching the famous man as he patrolled. As Commoner¡¯s horse passed by the guild member he seemed to shift his head towards Commoner. Commoner tensed but then Samurai turned back to walk another round of the platform and he relaxed, allowing his horse to take him past the platform and towards the side entrance of the guild. As he continued on his way he looked back and saw that Grandfather Time and Grandma had gotten off their horse and it had disappeared. They were calmly wading through the crowd and a glance sent by the old man to Commoner let him know that as soon as he was out of sight the attack would begin and he would have to rush into the dungeon to get Orion out of her cell. ¡®I really hope this is as easy as running in and running out.¡¯ ~~~~ Grandfather time watched as his horse disappeared into the crowd and patted Grandma¡¯s bronze armour. She glanced at him shrewdly but left without a word, heading in the direction of Obsten¡¯s centre. He counted no less than fifteen guards surrounding the execution platform. Security was rather lax while there was nobody on the stand to guard. The only one that seemed vaguely prepared for an attack was Samurai. Grandfather Time walked up to the nearest guard and tapped him on the shoulder. The guard looked down at him and his eyes widened in surprise. ¡°Oh me, oh my, if you would please tell the people to evacuate sonny boy, I do think a lot of people are about to start dying.¡± The guard immediately jumped back and in a second Grandfather Time found himself surrounded by the guards. Samurai had stayed back just in case there were others attacking. ¡®Smart.¡¯ ¡°Halt!¡± The initial guard he had approached shouted out to him even though he wasn¡¯t moving and before he knew it the square had been evacuated, giving him no place to run or hide. They had been well prepared for any attack. It was becoming a spectacle that was guaranteed to draw the attention of all eyes, just as Grandfather Time wanted. ¡®That¡¯s fine. I had no intention to run from the beginning.¡¯ "Oh me, oh my, what ever is an old man to do with so many weapons pointed towards him." Grandfather time skipped lightly on his feet so that he was directly in the middle of the guards and grinned at them while waving his hands around him, mimicking the sign of eternity in the air.
As the keeper of time you have used the time of people¡¯s futures to open the gates of the past. Skill: Time¡¯s Arbiter has been activated. Duration: 60 minutes.
¡°Goodbye sonny boys.¡± *Crack* ¡°My back!¡± *crash* *crack* ¡°GAH¡± The guards cried out in pain as they suddenly experienced incredible pains and flopped over on the ground, their faces wrinkled and aged as though they had suddenly gained sixty years in a moment. The fifteen of them disappeared as they died and Grandfather Time turned to face the only player left, Samurai, in the eyes. He felt refreshed and invigorated as he towered over the guild member. He flexed his hands and saw that they had lost their light tan and wrinkles, turning soft and delicate as a newborns. He rubbed his face and felt that it too had lost its age and reverted back to how it had been in his teenage years. He had also grown taller. He was the same size he had been in his prime, since he had started to shrink as he had gotten older. He smiled at the player in front of him but found that Samurai had been joined by two more players. ¡°So this is da famous Grandfather Time. And I thought you were an old man, das scary dat is. Glad dey hired me to be da extra security.¡± The man to Samurai¡¯s right, a large white man with boxing wrapping around his arms and his bare feet, was talking with some sort of strange accent. He looked confident as he faced Grandfather Time. He was dressed in a gi and had white pants on, clearly some sort of martial arts class. ¡°Hmm, to make all those level two hundred guards die instantly, truly a frightening man. To think I was simply hired to make some stars appear at the end of the show.¡± To Samurai¡¯s left was a man covered in tattoos that swirled around his bare chest and arms. He had a pair of brown paints on and was riding on top of a see through silver wolf. ¡®That¡¯s not any old spirit wolf.¡¯ ¡°So you are the famous God Caller, Fenric.¡± The man bowed slightly as Grandfather Time acknowledged him and the fighter in the gi seemed to scowl. The spirit wolf snarled at Grandfather Time as his gaze drifted towards it. It looked like an ordinary wolf except that it was see through and covered in red symbols which drifted across its skin like they were lily pads on water. It was also the size of a small car and its fangs were the size of two full sized cats. The wolf was one of the lesser gods of its kind and the man riding it was Fenric, a person with the hidden class God Caller which allowed him to summon gods to aid him in battle. ¡®He will be a troublesome one.¡¯ Grandfather Time raised his hand and his hammer appeared in it.
You have equipped item: Majesty
The three players in front of him tensed and he grinned as he calmly flexed his hands and spun the hammer around in the air, he was still getting used to the youthful body he had been granted by his ability. He could feel all of the strength he had had in his youth filling him and soothing his previously aching body. ¡°Sorry¡± ¡°Sorry¡± The three players and Grandfather Time looked behind him as they heard a couple of voices stating their apologies. Several other guards, presumably the ones that had been posted at the gate, were disappearing as two similar looking people slid their swords out of their stomachs and killed them. The pair walked towards the tense group and calmly stood beside Grandfather Time. ¡°Wow you¡¯re huge.¡± ¡°So you were hired by the old woman too? How much is she paying you?¡± ¡°Naughty that¡¯s rude, introductions first.¡± The male, a boy only in his early twenties, laughed as he was chided by his sister, a girl that seemed to be in her late teens. He completely ignored the three high level players that were in front of him and put his fist out for Grandfather Time to pump. When Grandfather Time showed no intention of doing so he shrugged. ¡°So I¡¯m Naughty, this,¡± he pointed to the girl beside him who was smiling bashfully at the tall and muscular Asian man in front of her, ¡°is Hippy. We¡¯re here to break out that player killer girl, Orion. You too?¡± Grandfather Time grunted and nodded his head. ¡®The Blessed Smith sent more people than I thought she would.¡¯ ¡°Well then,¡± Naughty and Hippy looked at each other and held out their swords lazily ¡°Guess we¡¯ll kill the dog.¡± As though as invisible switch had been flipped Samurai and the fighter immediately ran at Grandfather Time and Fenric and his wolf lunged at the twins. Grandfather Time grinned as the twins and Fenric jumped back into the alleys and out of sight. The two charging towards him found their charge blocked by a swing of his massive hammer. The fight had begun.