Chapter 120: Dungeon Excursion. Spoiler The next day, Crule and Johan met in front of the dungeon entrance. There were several tanned hide tents set up around the perimeter. A generals goods store, a drug store, and even a small branch of the guild set up tents. Since they prepared beforehand, Crule and Johan directly went into the dungeon without so much as taking a glance at the temporary shops. Johan was wearing leather armor with metal spikes imbedded on his elbows, kneecaps, shoulders, and shoe tip. He looked very like a rocker or a biker. His weapon of choice…was a guitar. It would seem his aura works like a bard. His melodies gives one a feeling of freshness and strength. They were silent when they met each other, and they stayed silent throughout their journey. Only the sound of fighting and music could be heard. Around a few meters after they entered, they met their first obstacle. From the mossy ceiling of the dungeon, various flowers bloomed. But instead of a stamen, a sharp needle like projectile fired from it. Crule dodged what he could. The stingers that were aimed at Johan, Crule had to intercept with his dagger. Johan played a melody with an allegro tempo. Crule could feel his speed and agility slightly improving. Throwing some iron daggers he prepared the day before, Crule dispatched the flowers. Along the way they met several adventurers who were in larger groups. They were struggling to cope with the onslaught of vegetation. Crule and Johan generally ignored them. Soon they reached a large open space with a natural staircase at the other side. From the ceiling hang a giant pitcher plant. As soon as Crule and Johan stood under it, it descended from the ceiling with such speeds. With its vines, it tried to tangle Crule. Johan was caught by the ankles and was lifted up in the air. He panicked. Crule was cutting the vines left and right with dagger cloaked with his aura. The giant plant was drawing Johan ever closer to its large open mouth. Crule pulled out a vile of green liquid and splashed it on his dagger. Now every time his dagger makes an incision on the vines, they wither up as if they haven’t seen any water or nutrients in years. The withering slowly crept up the vines that Crule cut, soon it reached the main body. With a large roar, the plant suddenly released Johan. Picking himself off his ass, Johan quickly played a power ballad. Crule could feel his strength increasing by a small margin. With his strength boosted, Crule leaped high into the air and slammed downwards into what seemed like the giant plant’s stomach. His dagger impaled deeply leaving only the handle out. The green herbicide Crule splashed on his dagger seeped into the main body. It slowly withered away leaving a green crystal. The crystal looked like a fossilized leaf in an amber except it was a light shade of green. Crule learned yesterday that these drops could fetch good money from collectors. Rumor has it that it was a rare gem that could absorb aura from plant type users. Crule cleaned his dagger and Johan patted the dust from his clothes. They continue down the natural formed stairs. The lower floor of the dungeon wasn’t as lit as the upper floor. Bioluminescent moss and mushrooms glowed dimly on the floor giving a mystical feeling. Crule and Johan proceeded with caution. Crule could see clearly once his aura covered his eyes but Johan had trouble with that. He often trip over a large tree root or a small hedge bush. So far they have not seen any enemies or adventurers. It would seem most people would stay on the upper floors where there’s light to farm. They still had a game-like mentality to it all. After nearly half an hour of walking, they finally heard a noise. It was a violent humming that grew louder and louder. Crule drew his dagger and Johan readied his guitar. From behind a dense curtain of vines, a large insect appeared. It looked similar to the monstrosities on Gluttony that plagued Crule’s childhood nightmares. Crule only smirked. It was one thing he enjoyed, crushing bugs beneath his feet. Not giving the bug even a chance to stab them, Crule shot off a fast rotating ball of his aura which immediately bore a hole in the bug. It fell with a soft ‘thud’ onto the mossy floor. Creepy enough, the vegetation covered floor seem to swallow the dead bug. Crule paid no heed but Johan was deeply scared by it. Johan couldn’t take it anymore and lit up a small torch. Taking care as to not burning all the vegetation in their surroundings, they moved on. Soon they reached what seemed like a hollowed out giant tree. The top of the tree was missing as if knocked down by age and time. The wood looked old and was a darker shade than the other young trees in the area. In the middle of the hollowed out tree, was actually a hole leading downwards. Guarding that hole was a large mantis looking bug. On its four appendages were sharp serrated blades. Its yellow eyes beamed in the darker tree root. Johan was fearful, but yet something compelled him to move on. Crule noticed it but didn’t ask him about it. Taking the initiative, Crule fired off more aura bullets. They were somehow dodged by the mantis as it shuffled across the forest floor with speed and dexterity. Its small wings allowed a short period of flight to boost its speed even further. It rushed at Johan as he seemed weaker. Johan played a folk song and a wall of dust seem to form in front of him. The dust condensed into dirt then into stone. It blocked the mantis’ path and temporarily confused it. Crule took this chance to arrive next to the mantis and plant his dagger straight into its head. It took heavy damage but still have yet to die. Crule quickly pulled out his dagger and leaped away. Johan’s folk song turned into a techno jazz tune and the stone wall crumbled back into dust and was blown away. In its place however, was a membrane of electricity that flew towards the bug from his cords. It rendered it incapacitated. Crule took advantage of the situation and enveloped the bug whole in his aura. Several seconds later, the black aura sheet dissipated leaving not a single trace of the bug nor the electrical membrane. Crule nodded to a shocked Johan and they immediately proceeded down the hole.
Chapter 121: Budding Friendship. Spoiler Crule and Johan advanced further into the dungeon at unheard of speeds. Crule being as impatient as he is when Ming is in trouble, pushed their speed to the limits. Johan could barely kept up and they had to take several breaks for him to catch his breath. The rests barely was able to allow him to be vigil enough to not be taken by surprise and eaten by the carnivorous plants. Johan’s fingers were bleeding from the constantly strumming. His calluses had opened up and fresh blood poured out. But he did not complain. Crule could see the determination in his eyes. He was like him. He had a mission, a mission of love. They kept talking to a minimum. Any sort of sound vibrations could alert the plants of their location. Although Crule can easily break through if an army of plants attacked, Johan would not be as so lucky. Upon reaching what seemed to be the end of the last floor, Crule and Johan took one last break to mentally prepare themselves for the fight before them. Crule took this chance to ask Johan some questions. [Crule]: So what would bring a musician such as yourself to delve into a dungeon in the first place? Johan looked embarrassed. He stayed silent for a while before sighing. [Johan]: There is this girl I grew up with. Her name is Erika. Back when we were kids, we use to play together all the time. She sparked the interest of music in me. Crule nodded. So it was a girl after all. [Johan]: We rarely separated, even after we both graduated and moved onto having jobs. It was all very blissful looking back at it. Johan nearly shed a tear the memory. [Johan]: But recently she got into an “accident”. It caused some sort of head trauma and she seemed to have lost some of her memories… Johan’s expression became very serious suddenly. [Johan]: Then that demon with the gilded tongue showed up in our lives…The man fooled the injured Erika to believe he was her childhood friend. I was pushed out and left on the side like a stranger. Johan balled his hands into a fist. The blood from his fingertips dripped slowly onto the floor next to the small smoldering fire where they were cooking several snakes Crule caught earlier. Crule sympathizes with Johan. He had his fair share of villainous lechers when he was courting Ming. It was a good thing it eventually worked out in his favor. [Johan]: I tried to get close to her but the man had a power backer…he was the son of a major trade conglomerate that operates in the Wild. His hired goons would constantly harass me and my band outside the eyes of Erika. The snake is lying to her through his teeth… An awkward silence followed. Johan took a deep breath and sighed. He regained his composure. [Johan]: That is when I heard of an item. A powerful string made from the fibers of an immortal Haoma tree. I researched about it as much as I could before hearing about sightings of the tree in this very dungeon. It is said when a fiber of the immortal Haoma tree is plucked, one’s happiest inner memories will resurface. It is also said to cure diseases but I doubt that part. Crule’s interesting suddenly perked up upon hearing what Johan said. He saw the detailed in the flies that Johan posted. The Immortal Haoma tree. He had seen its’ fiber in action once in the previous world. It captivated the masses and soothed their rage. It had allowed Crule to make a quick escape from zealots whilst they were lost in memories. [Crule]: I see…I assume the Haoma tree should be at the very center of this dungeon. Its powerful life force is feeding the carnivorous plants and bugs here, creating an ecosystem to protect it. [Johan]: I-I see. What do you think our chances of succeeding are? Johan finally asked with a little self-doubt. Although he had seen Crule’s prowess along the way, he still didn’t have any faith that they can defeat a monster that had the word Immortal in its name. At best he hopes they can snatch a piece of it to be used as strings. [Crule]: 100%. Crule smirked. Johan smiled too. Seeing Crule not even flinch a bit at the mention of such a monster gave Johan a feeling of confidence. Crule thought a while before reaching into his spatial pocket. He took out a black marble. [Crule]: Take this. He tossed it casually to Johan. He caught it with one hand and stared at it. [Johan]: What is it? [Crule]: A sort of protective treasure. In case I can’t fully protect you. I want to bring you back in one piece to Erika. Johan smiled. [Johan]: Thanks man. The two then proceeded to eat the snake which was well roasted at this point. ______ Crule and Johan entered the final room. An extremely large tree lie at the center of a dome shaped room. The roof was the canopy of the tree and the ground was an extensive web of its roots. Crule and Johan stared at the tree. On its bark were runic symbols embedded into it. It glowed with a sort of mystic luminance. When they took a step closer, the runes franticly flashed. Something that resembled a face slowly emerged on the bark of the tree. In a soft yet majestic voice, it boomed. [Tree]: Mortals! Do not tread on the holy grounds of the Haoma tree! The very sound of the tree made Crule and Johan remanence about happier times. Crule quickly snapped back to reality as he had built up a resistance to mental attacks over the years. He quickly carried Johan back away from the attack zone of the tree. He turned back to look at the tree. A smirk on his face, he took out his dagger and dashed toward the tree. Countless roots lifted off the ground and slammed downwards, trying to crush Crule. But evading quickly to the left or right, Crule continued on his advances. The dagger now dripping with his aura slashed into the roots that missed. The Haoma tree shrieked as its roots were damaged. It started to visibly deteriorate as if the moisture was consumed from within. The roots became nothing but dust as it fluttered away in the wind created by other roots. The endless numbers of roots continue their onslaught on Crule. Like a ninja, Crule’s quick movement looked like teleportation as he weaved and dodged, inching ever closer to the face on the giant tree. Suddenly, the Haoma tree stopped attacking with its roots as it realized that roots that got too close to Crule were immediately destroyed by that dagger of his. It created a giant wall of hardened wood, trying to block Crule from reaching its center. Crule just smiled. Johan woke up from his trance and saw the scene before him. Realizing they were still in middle of combat, he put his hands back on his guitar and started playing riffs. The melody seem to counter the mental attacks on him by the voice of the Haoma tree. Crule also felt a boost in his physical abilities. Crule could have ended the fight with just a ball of his aura shot forth like a bullet, but his goal at the moment was not killing the tree, but rather gaining its vocal fibers. For that, he had to get close. The fibers from a living Haoma tree would definitely work. Not only that, hearing the prefix ‘immortal’ kind of made Crule believed he couldn’t kill the tree without wiping its existence off the face of the planet. Crule hacked away at the wall, his aura eating through the wood like it was breakfast. He made a small hole just big enough for him to dash through. The Haoma tree didn’t believe that a small weak looking human would be able to cause it so much grief. Crule finally reached the giant face on the tree. With a smirk he talked to it. [Crule]: I’ll be taking this. He slashed his dagger to where the throat area of the tree face. It penetrated deeply and the tree let out a sharp screech. Normally, the mental attacks caused by the scream would have sent Crule in a daze, but Johan’s frantic strumming allowed him to keep a cool head. He quickly worked his dagger deeper and cutting out several golden fibers from the tree’s throat. The tree was bleeding sap from the gaping hole. Crule got what he needed and quickly backed off. The tree’s wounds healed nearly instantly as wood covered over the exposed inner flesh. [Crule]: Such strong regenerative properties… The Haoma tree was now extremely enraged but at the same time vary of Crule. It shifted its target to Johan who was paying attention to his music. Crule realized that the tree’s focus has shifted. He quickly ran back, hoping he could save Johan in time.
Chapter 122: Musical Recovery. Spoiler Johan wasn’t paying attention to the tree’s roots as he thought it was still maintaining its focus on Crule who seemed like a bigger threat. The roots slithered toward him at high speeds. Crule frowned and dash away from the tree, hacking at any pursuing roots. The Haoma tree was angry enough to start calling on its minions. Various insects started crawling from the surrounding areas and attack Crule. [Crule]: Johan! Move! Johan snapped out of his trance to see the current situation. He quickly got on the floor and rolled sideways as a thick root zipped by his head, taking along a few strands of hair. It was too close for comfort. Johan stared in fear. If he had acted any slower, his head might have been removed from the rest of his body. [Crule]: I got the goods, let’s get out. Now! Crule fought back the horde of insects. They ran away from the giant tree, fighting anything that stopped in front of their escape route. Corpses of plants and bugs littered the ground where they passed. The angry roars of the Haoma tree trembled across the forest dungeon. Crule and Johan barely made it out. The other adventurers were scared out of their wits by the mighty roar. They all ran outside and was gathered together, awaiting for something like a boss monster to show up. Crule and Johan quickly ran out of the cave entrance. The other adventurers ignored them and continue to face the cave. Suddenly, a layer of powerful looking roots blocked the entrance. Several adventurers tried to cut the roots but it was unyielding as metal. Some even tried burning the roots but to no avail, they didn’t get any results. The adventurers sighed. [Warrior Adventurer]: Looks like the dungeon is closed for now… [Female Adventurer]: Did someone beat the boss? [Archer Adventurer]: No way, the dungeon was barely opened…No one could have reached the boss in such a short time period. They bickered and argue but there was nothing they could do now. The place was closed off. Looks like their sweet hunting spot is closed. Time to move on. The people slowly started to return to town to spread the news. Johan lied on the ground breathing heavily. He didn’t think that he would run several days’ worth of progress in mere minutes. Guess they didn’t travel very far at all considering how cautious they were along the way. Crule sat on the ground breathing heavily as well. It was a fun experience. If given the chance, he should come and take the Haoma tree out with Ming once she got better. They rested a while before getting back up and headed to town. ______ The next day, Johan showed up at the guild hall’s meeting room. He smiled brightly at Crule. The quest is done, reward must be distributed. Johan slid a large leather bag of coins across the table to Crule. [Johan]: Thanks for the help man, you really saved my bacon. [Crule]: No problem, no problem. That’s what friends are for! [Johan]: Haha, friends indeed! The two laughed and shook hands. Crule then decided to ask. [Crule]: May I ask you a favor? [Johan]: Anything for a friend. [Crule]: My fiancé is currently ill. I would like for you to play her a tune with that Haoma guitar you have made. Johan nodded quickly. [Johan]: Such a thing! Why didn’t you say so earlier! I would gladly help. Crule led Johan to the inn room where Ming was resting. The knocked at the door and Chun Qin answered. [Chun Qin]: Hey, so this is the guy? Chun Qin’s menacing glared sent shivers down Johan’s spine. [Crule]: Hey, hey, he’s one of us. Chun Qin nodded silently. He still didn’t take his eyes off Johan. Johan laughed awkwardly. He then entered the room and saw the girl in lying in the bed. There seems to be nothing wrong with her other than the fact that she looked like she was asleep. Chun Qin did a good job at cleaning the wound and treating her. Ming doesn’t even have a scar from the incident. Johan took out his guitar. It was made from a piece of metal that vibrates at the smallest stimulus. It helps amplify the sounds the Haoma fibers make when he plucks them. He tuned the guitar and began to play. A powerful ballad, a beautify melody, a strong solo. Crule and Chun Qin listened carefully to the music. It brought back memories of victory, memories of friendship and trials faced together with friends. As the song comes to an end, a faint glow appeared on Ming’s forehead as a green shadow seem to fly out. Crule quickly caught sight of it and stabbed it with his dagger. With a shriek, the green shadow fades. It was what remained of the illness inside Ming. Crule held Ming’s hands. [Crule]: Ming, you OK? Ming slowly opened her eyes. She stared at Crule and blinked. A tear formed. Ming nearly jumped out of the bed and hugged Crule, crying. [Ming]: I-I was having a nightmare. I thought I had lost you…I-I… [Crule]: There, there. I’m here. Everything is Ok now. They remained embraced for a long time. Johan nodded silently to Chun Qin and left. He had his own ordeal to finish. Chun Qin also sighed and left the room. Best leave the lovebirds alone. After all, abstinence makes the heart grow fonder. ______ Johan reunited with the rest of his band members. He made up an excuse and told them he was taking a short vacation to see his girlfriend. The band members agreed without any complaints. They had saw how hard Johan had worked over the months. Johan excitedly left for the borders. After he cross over the Wilderness zone, electronics started working again. He quickly got on an airship to his hometown. Upon arriving at the hospital, he asked the nurse about Erika. It seemed she was still at the hospital. Her recovery was doing fine. Although her memories are still missing, everything else was functioning just fine. Johan sighed with relief. He looked around and saw two men in black suits eyeing him. Goons of that snake… He walked out to the garden of the hospital. He often stood outside Erika’s window, just looking up at her smile. Today he had his special guitar with him. Johan saw Erika stare outside the window, so he decided to start. He closed his eyes and envisioned the song he wanted to play for her. -D- -A- -Bm- -G- A love song. A song of longing. A ballad of fond memories. A powerful solo. Everything that he had, he put into that song. Erika stared in awe out her window, lost in memories. As the song came to a close. Johan opened his eyes again and looked up. Erika was crying. She opened the window and jumped. It was a good thing she was only on the first floor. Johan quickly put down the guitar and caught her. They hugged and kissed. [Erika]: I remember, I remember now. Oh Johan, where have you been? I missed you so much. I was scared…so scared… [Johan]: Its ok now Erika. I’m here for you. I love you and I always will. [Erika]: I love you too. The audience started clapping. The couples were finally reunited. From the parking lot, a man wearing a black suit frowned. [Man]: Humph, it seems my plans were ruined. No matter, if I can’t have her, no one will. A sinister grin appeared on his face as he pulled out his communicator.
Chapter 123: Last song. Spoiler Crule and Ming spent a few more days in Janus before finding Turf and Dante to continue on their journey. Chun Qin returned to where he was trying to make a name for himself, the colosseum town of Aria. Turf was more than happy to but there was still the lingering fear of Crule and Ming’s power. Dante too was fearful but her pride didn’t allow her to shy away from adventure. They reluctantly continue on their journey. A journey filled with fear and excitement. ______ Erika fully recovered from her accident a month later. Johan took an extended break from his band touring the Wild to accompany her. The last day of her hospital stay, Erika left with Johan hand in hand. Their happiness warmed the hearts of those around them. Nearly everyone wished well for the couple. The vile man was nowhere to be seen but his goons were still nearby. Johan noticed them but didn’t approach them. Most likely they were only there for surveillance. Johan led Erika to his ship he had parked out front. The ship’s engine roared to life with an electrical hum. It slowed lifted off the ground and they flew off. One of the goons took out a communicator and whispered into it. [Goon]: Sir, they have left on the vehicle. [Man]: Good, leave that place now, don’t let them track it back to us. [Goon]: Yes Sir. The goon put away his communicator, picked up a black suitcase besides him and walked away into the crowded streets. ______ Around two hours into their flight back to their hometown, Johan turned on auto pilot. The ship steadied itself to its internal gyro. Johan unbuckled his seatbelt and went into the back room. Erika was currently in the studio he had built into his ship. The room was soundproof and was his personal musical haven. She was currently singing. A song so beautiful it brought a tear to Johan’s eyes. When the song came to a close, Johan knocked on the glass and entered. [Johan]: You still got it! [Erika]: *panting* Really? [Johan]: Nothing can stop my beautiful muse from singing her tune. [Erika]: Thanks, I was worried that the accident might have affected my singing. Erika inched close to Johan and they entered into an embrace. [Johan]: Please Erika, join my band. Be our singer. Johan seriously asked. [Erika]: Really? You sure your bandmates won’t mind? [Johan]: I’m sure they won’t. Having a female singer will boost our popularity too! [Erika]: Yes! Anything I can do to help! They were lost in their pink cloud of love when suddenly an alarm sounded in the cockpit. Johan immediately rushed to the cockpit. On his screen he saw a familiar face…a face that he hated the most. The vile snake who tried to snatch away his Erika. [Man]: My oh my, it seems we meet again my dear Johan. His decrepit laugh brought force unimaginable rage in Johan. [Man]: As you can see, I implanted a virus into your little love boat. It’s now on a collision course directly into the molten sea of metal under you! Erika entered the room right as the man said that. Both their faces paled. [Man]: You see, I am a very generous man, but even the most virtuous of saints have needs. The man continue to describe his longing for Erika in the most monotone of fashion. It was sickening to listen to. The ship’s blaring alarm couldn’t drown out his speech entirely. [Man]: So you see, I, the great Bao Ding Mien, decided that if I can’t have her, I will just give it to you. I mean why not? I’m sure you two would enjoy each other’s company in hell. His tone became sinister. [Johan]: You…… Johan tried to get the ship back into control, but nothing he did worked. The ship was heading straight down in a nose dive into the molten sea of metal. With nothing working, Johan panicked. Bao’s demonic laughter filled the cockpit as the prerecorded message ended. Erika was scared. She didn’t know what to do. She prayed Johan would save them from this ordeal. Johan looked out the windows. Although they reached terminal velocity in falling, since they were so high up in the first place, they still got a tiny smidgen of time left. In the near horizon he saw the Wild. It seems they have flew close to the borders of the Wild. He breathed deeply and closed his eyes, calming himself. He knew this was his last chance, he had to save Erika. He quickly ran over to the guitar case in the corner and took out the Haoma guitar. He turned around to face the front of the ship. One strum, two strum, he was putting his all into his music. The powerful vibration caused the ship to quiver. But it wasn’t enough. Erika appeared besides the desperate Johan and hugged his back. It was dangerous times like these that people realize their own mortality and the ones they loved. Erika started singing. The melody didn’t have any power in it since she didn’t get the enhancement for the nanodes like Johan had from adventuring in the Wild. However, a miracle happened as the melody blended with the riffs Johan was playing. It seemed to summon a powerful gust of wind from the east. It blew pass their ship, carrying it like a leaf in a heavy storm. It blew them toward the Wild. Landing on solid ground wasn’t any better than in liquid but at least the ship would not melt from the heat. They had a better chance of survival. The music stopped. Johan looked at Erika. Erika looked back. This was all they could do. It was now left to fate whether they live or die. They didn’t leave each other embrace. Even if they strap themselves into the chair’s it would not guarantee their survival. They might as well enjoy what could be their final moments together. Just before they were about to impact, Johan remembered something. The black marble Crule had given him. [Johan]: Crule, my friend. If this marble can protect Erika, then even in the afterlife I would still repay my gratitude. Johan inject a bit of aura into the black marble and it expanded into an oval sphere. The last seconds to impact. Johan left Erika’s embrace and gently nudged her into the sphere. [Johan]: Good bye my love, I will always love you. [Erika]: NO JOHAN! Erika tried to reach out but the sphere sensed a living entity had enter it and sealed itself. Johan hugged the sphere as the ship crashed. The ship landed head first. The cockpit was smashed immediately. The forward momentum caused the ship to tumble several hundred meters. Trees were destroyed in its path. Piece of shrapnel and metal chunks flew off the ship as it tumbled. Smoke bellowed out from the metal ball of death. The ship finally stopped when it imbedded itself into a slightly taller hill. Fire broke out and the stored fuel was ignited. The ship became a blazing inferno. It was a mess. No one could have survived. Hours passed. A stormed blew by. The weakened fires were extinguished by the gentle drizzle. Inside of the remains of the cockpit, was a charred corpse and a black oval sphere.
Chapter 124: Echo. Spoiler The sound of the crash attracted beasts near the vicinity. But the powerful blaze of the fire kept them at bay. As the storm washed away the flame, the beasts finally gained enough courage to explore the place. But no matter where they look, they can’t find anything interesting. These beasts only have the most simplest of minds, their curiosity are mostly guided by their stomach. Once there was nothing left to eat, they left the place. They didn’t bother the black oval sphere as it was emitting an aura they feared. The suns fall and rose again. The following day has come. The only sound in the area was that of a gentle breeze from the storm that passed by yesterday. The black oval finally opened up revealing an unconscious Erika. As she slumped onto the ground as the oval finally opened full, she opened her eyes in a daze. Her first reaction was confusion. Her eyes were hazy and she couldn’t collect her thoughts. After staring at the wreckage around her for several minutes, she suddenly remembered. Panicking, she cried out for Johan. [Erika]: Johan! JOHAN! Where are you! She was frantic. Darting around the wreckage, lifting things off the ground, constantly looking for Johan and screaming his name. After over an hour of searching, she couldn’t find any trace of human life around her, she returned to where she woke up. Next to the black oval that was still opened up, there was a pile of ashes. The fire made sure to burn any resemblance of a corpse right out of it. The wind and rain caused the intact body to crumble into a pile of ash. Erika didn’t want to believe it. She prayed, she begged, she wished. Everything in her body was screaming that the pile of ash couldn’t be her Johan. But reality was grim. Another hour passed. Nothing has changed. The beasts still ignore the area as the black oval was constantly sending out pulses of aura. This aura sent shivers down the spines of any predator and wards them away. Erika sat between the black oval and the pile of ashes, hugging her knees. Her eyes were dim, it was as if she had lost all hope, all the light in her life, snuffed out in mere seconds. Hours passed by. Hunger soon took over as she finally moved from her sitting position. She scavenged everything that the beasts didn’t get. There were enough food and water left to last her a few days. Most of the food that was not stored properly or have been exposed by the crash were eaten by the beasts. Erika took the food and sat back in her spot. She took out a pack of unsalted crackers and started nibbling on it. With a drink of water, it refreshed her battered body. Her voice was faded from the hours of shouting for Johan. Her tears had nearly dried up from crying an entire day. The only thing that’s keeping her alive right now was her instinct to survive and her want to not waste the life that Johan had bestowed upon her with his sacrifice. Night came. Erika slumped into sleep only to be awoken by the sound of animals. They didn’t dare to get near, but the sounds still kept her on high alert. Looks like she will not get a steady night of sleep. ______ The following morning, Erika stood up from her bad sleeping position. It seems she leaned on the black oval and fell asleep. Eating a few more crackers from the package and taking a few more sips of water, she got up and searched the wreckage again. It was not a very large ship. It didn’t take long before she had looked everywhere around the crash site. But there were no clues that point out anything that Johan had survived the crash. Feeling hopeless, Erika manage to find a glimmer of peace as she saw Johan’s guitar had survived the crash. The heavy metal casing protected the instrument from the fires and the physical trauma as well. She took the guitar back to the black oval. Hugging it, she fell back asleep. Fatigue took over as last night she didn’t get much sleep at all. In her dreams, it seemed like Johan was calling her out. The guitar in her hands glowed dimly. [Johan]: My dear beloved. Live on. Remember that I will always be with you, as long as the music flows, I too shall live on. ______ When Erika woke up, the sun was setting. It seems she had slept the afternoon away. But she felt strangely refreshed. Her remembered her dream and wanted to cry again. Carefully, she plucked one of the strings on the guitar. It made a single note that seemed to be full of life. Erika felt like she could feel Johan’s presence, his warmth, his love. Finally tears once again poured down her face as she embraced the guitar. [Erika]: Johan…Oh my Johan. As long as I live, I swear upon our love that the music shall never die. That our song will be known by all, young and old. With renewed vigor, Erika packed what she could into a backpack that survived the crash. She put the guitar back into its heavy metal case and with great effort, carried it on her back with the attached leather straps. The next morning, she had to leave. She had to find civilization. Looking at the black oval that saved her life, she felt both gratitude and a little spite. She was grateful that it had saved her life, but angry that the black oval couldn’t save Johan too. She wanted to take the oval along but whatever she does had no effect on it. Suddenly, she felt a tinge of insight. She sang a note. The same note she had played on Johan’s guitar. As if the gods had taken pity on her, her voice contained a trace of aura. It tapped into her innate energy pool and started her on her path of cultivation. The black oval reacted to the energy and shrank back into a ball. Erika picked up it and placed it in her pocket. The suns rose the next morning and she headed out with hope in her eyes. She had many things to do. To spread their song to the world. To take revenge on whoever did this to them. And lastly, to thank the person who saved her. The burning flames of vengeance burn in her gaze. The melody of love sings behind her back. Her newly awoken aura, leaking heavily as it finally tapped into her deep pool of energy. Erika will be the Songstress of vengeance. The Muse of the powerful melody. The Echo of a loving musician.
Arc 10 Epilogue. Spoiler Upon a long stump sat an old man in a robe. His short white beard was trimmed to perfection. Even the spectacles that sat on the bridge of his nose was perfectly cleaned and the lens were spotless. On his lap was a large book. From the outside, the book looked like a large ancient tome. The pale yellow pages crinkled as he flipped them. The book gave one the feeling that it was an ancient artifact. In front of the old man sat half a dozen teenagers. From the look of their equipment, they were adventurers. Some placed their weapon down beside them as they sat down to listen. The old man was narrating a story. It was a story about a hero. A tale of true love, a tale of friendship, a tale of victory. It was the tale that everyone loved, where happy endings are guaranteed. The old man finished his story and slowly closed the book. He looked up at his audience and smiled. One of the teenagers raised their hand. The old man nodded. [Teen1]: Hey gramps, what’s with the crappy plot? The hero really has a stupidly thick plot armor huh? It seemed everything just fell right into his lap from the start! The old man nearly vomited blood. Yes, this old man was indeed, the Sage of time. [Sage]: You kids these days don’t get fantasies anymore! [Teen1]: Well duh, we are almost living in one. We have been slashing and stabbing wolfs all morning. Lots of good loot and exp! [Sage]: Back in my day we didn’t have adventuring! All we had was a dead end 9-5 job with responsibilities! [Teen1]: Times change old man, why bother with light heroes when the dark ones are so much cooler. [Sage]: You dam kids and your chuunbi illnesses! The teens took turn stabbing at the sage’s story. ______ After having their fill of laughter, they left the sage enraged and saltier than a life time supply of canned sardines. One of the younger teen stayed behind. The kid looked no older than 13. [Kid]: Hey old man, why do all the good things happen to the heroes no matter what? The Sage calmed and coughed. [Sage]: Let me tell you this, it is not because of the story that the hero always wins, but rather because the hero always wins that there can be a story in the first place. [Kid]: So…what? [Sage]: Think about it kid. The confused young teen wandered away to join his group. From behind a tree Maximus stepped out with a smug smirk. [Maximus]: Thick plot armor huh? [Sage]: Shut it you… The two have continued their travels deep into the Wild. They are still within the borders due to the sheer size of the Wild and their lack of vehicle. The number of people have not lessen at all since the opening. In fact more and more people flood from the seven continents into the Wild to enjoy the thrill of an adventure. [Maximus]: How far away are we from the closest seal? [Sage]: About two weeks by foot. [Maximus]: Which seal is it? [Sage]: Yours. Maximus rubbed his chin and nodded. [Maximus]: Never thought I would have to go back there… [Sage]: None of us did. The two solemnly look at the ground. ______ Their journey went smoothly for the next two weeks. Nothing could really threaten them as they are currently at the pinnacle of the human race. Upon reaching their destination, camp was set and the two stared at the monument, reminiscing about the past. The monument was a two meter tall slab of white limestone. On it were carvings similar to that of a tomb stone. A melancholy Maximus stood in front of it and gentle brushed the monument. [Maximus]: I’m back honey. Sorry I didn’t visit… The Sage also walked up to the monument. [Sage]: Hey, Lauren. Long time no chat. It’s been several hundred years huh? He took out a gourd of alcohol and poured a third onto the ground in front of the monument. [Sage]: Let’s drink, for old times’ sake. He hands Maximus the alcohol and taking a chug. Maximus drank deeply and handed the gourd back to the Sage. The two men sat on the ground in front of the monument and chatted. Days go by. The weather always clear. Not a single cloud could disturb their reunion. Finally, after a week of talking, they have finally caught up. [Maximus]: Lauren…wait for me. I’m coming soon. The Sage wide eyed, turned to Maximus. [Sage]: How long? [Maximus]: A year, at best two. [Sage]: So its time huh? What about your pupil? [Maximus]: She already received my training from her timeline. I don’t have any more to teach her. Maximus sighed. [Sage]: Ascension huh? [Maximus]: Yep. When someone of our caliber finally break that mortal bottleneck, we ascend. [Sage]: Oh how few of us remain… [Maximus]: Only five…and Chaos. [Sage]: *sighs* so few…I worry about who will guard the human race when we all have left. [Maximus]: Isn’t that why we take disciples? [Sage]: Hmm. True. But I worry about mine. It took me quite a long time to actually find someone who had a hint of time attribute. I worry that by my time of ascension, she won’t be ready to take on my position. [Maximus]: But wait, can’t you just make one of those pocket dimension of yours and teach her there? [Sage]: At the current saturation level I can only speed time up to make a day equal ten years. To fully train her in her abilities may take centuries… [Maximus]: Looks like no matter what we must break the seals huh? [Sage]: That’s right. Once a seal have been broken or ‘tempered’ with, the energy saturation in the atmosphere will rise significantly. Although it represents that the monsters will grow stronger, it also means humans will too. [Maximus]: Yea…we had to seal the violent ocean of energy the planet was emitting onto its surface…just so our group could even have a fighting chance of surviving as a space colony. [Sage]: Don’t remind me of those nightmarish days…The death toll was far too high. When we first arrived, other than the original group, all the other civilians couldn’t even stand up without vomiting. The energy was so thick, that it created a miasma that causes some people to literally explode. Thankfully now that humanity has gotten use to the energy, we can open the seals. [Maximus]: Hahaha, maybe because I ascend I might finally be able to use my full power in a fight. [Sage]: Just don’t aim straight down….The crust of the planet isn’t thicker than before… [Maximus]: Don’t worry, I’ll aim up. The two finally stood up from the ground. They took one last look at the white limestone monument and bowed. Maximus waved his hands and a large array of lights flashed to life in front of the monument. Like tinkering with electrical circuitry, he severed some connection and part of the formation dimmed. Slowly, the seal changed. It went from being a solid plug, into a faucet. Rich dense energy poured from the seal. It was so dense it took on a gaseous form. Maximus and the Sage took a deep breath and their complexion seem to brighten. The Sage even seem to have gotten younger. All over the continent, the dense energy flowed. All the way over the other side of the Wild, on top of a rickety wagon, Crule and Ming basked in the sun. A sudden wave of energy hit the two and they turned their heads toward the direction it came from. [Crule]: This feeling…looks like the old man got one before we did… [Ming]; He must have gotten help… [Crule]: Well, it looks like we lost the race this time…But with two seals now opened, we can finally use more of our powers. [Ming]: I’m itching to try them out. They two laughed quietly to themselves. Meanwhile, Turf was just sitting in front of them. [Turf]: God dammit what are they laughing about this time? And with this, i finally caught up with the current chapter....off to play pokemon ._.
Chapter 125: Arriving at Lake Trysl. Spoiler The rickety wooden wagon rolled down a long and seemingly endless dirt road. These roads were pathed by the pioneers. Although they were called pioneers, all they really did was refortify the existing routes made by the people who actually lived in the Wild. On Noxia there were type kinds of people. The ones who were born in luxury and live on the seven islands where one of the types. They are enveloped in their own cocoon of sophistry and gentry. They have their advances in technology and their knowledge. But with that comes a complete alienation of the Wild. Due to electronics not working in the wild, the island side of the planet had little ideas about the Wild side. The little information they knew are only known to the ones in power and the ones who deal with trade. The common people had no idea what existed in the Wild other than beasts and monsters. All the amazing energy skills they see on TV were called ‘magic’. The other kind of people, were the people who chose to live in the Wild. Constant fear of beast and animals have forged them into a strong group of people. They live in well-fortified cities with strong walls. As if reverting to medieval times, they mainly live near usable bodies of water with woodlands nearby. Being near bodies of water not only provide clean drinking water, it also provides food in the form of aquatic fauna. It also allows irrigation and thus farming. Due to the constant war between man and beast, the people of the Wild found they had power long before the other side did. They were well versed in the art of combat and many were elites with strong control of their energy. One side of Noxia, had technology. They were arrogant and proud. They favor knowledge over wisdom. Because knowledge will allow you to get further up the food chain that is economy. The other side of Noxia, had skills and control of the mystical energy of the planet. They were humble and hardy. They favor the wise over book smarts. Because wisdom will keep you alive. The games really opened the eyes of the arrogant islanders. They saw for the first time, they truth of the Wild. That even if a majority is nothing but deadly wilderness, there were pockets of civilization. Janus was one such pocket. Originally it was a small sized fortress with a mediocre pocket of people living there. With the boom of new adventurers, the city grew significantly and became the medium size social hub it is today. The meeting of East and West, the Islanders and the Wild. Sharing of information has brought new discoveries and advancement in both technology and magic. ______ Finally, the sight of a large citadel could be seen over the hill. [Turf]: There it is, the harbor city of Decaport. [Crule]: And behind it is the great lake Trysl? [Turf]: Yep. Funny thing, although it’s called a lake, that thing is as big as a sea. I always wonder why it’s called a lake and not a sea considering it takes several months to get from one side to the other via boat. [Dante]: I think it’s due to the definition of a sea compared to a lake. A lake is a fixed body of water where as a sea eventually flows into an ocean. On our planet we have no ocean, only many huge lakes. [Turf]: As knowledgeable as always huh Ms. Dante? The wagon continued on its steady pace. Tied to the back of the wagon was a wooden cart full of monster corpses. They were the spoils of the journey. The sheer amount was amazing. It was a miracle the tiny wagon could pull such a heavy cart. Crule and Ming sat on top of the wagon as always. They looked ahead at the brightly shining citadel that sat next to the glistening waters. The citadel was made from a strong stone the locals called Seastone. It was easily melted and shaped into large bricks but once cooled, the stone was extremely strong and resistant to weathering and erosion. The citadel would be the exact same as when it was made if not for the attack of monsters that occurred over the centuries. Just as Turf planned, just as the suns were about to fall below the horizon, they reached the large gate of the citadel. A dozen guards were keeping watch while another dozen were doing inspections on the people entering. Turf slowly drove the wagon to line up and they slowly crept up to the front of the line. A guard stopped the wagon with a wave of his hand. [Guard]: Purpose of stay? [Turf]: Commerce. The guard nodded his head as the other eleven guards started to inspect the wagon. They looked but didn’t lay their hands on the merchandise. They learn from experience that crafty merchants may cause them trouble by saying they broke something expensive and making them have to pay for it. The guards don’t make enough money to deal with that kind of trouble every day. The search was finished and the leader guard continue to ask questions. [Guard]: Number of passengers? [Turf]: Five plus me. [Guard]: Days of stay? [Turf]: Unknown. [Guard]: Purchasing a house or staying at an inn? [Turf]: Inn. [Guard]: You will need a visitors pass if you wish to stay longer than 30 days. Please apply for one at the town hall or guild hall. The guard nodded and they backed off. Turf slowly drove the wagon through the giant metal gates. [Turf]: Finally, we reached our final destination. Several months of journey, finally ended. The merchandise was well protected as Crule and Ming took care of any beasts or monsters that approached. Dante and her two cohorts also did their job well. Turf is going to make a sizable profit this time. [Turf]: Oh right, Crule, Ming. Since you guys did most of the killing, the monster loot will go to you. A twinkle in his eyes as Turf said his next sentence. [Turf]: Would you like me to sell them for you? I can guarantee a hefty profit! [Crule]: Sure, go for it. The last thing he needs now is to take time to sell the mountain of monster and beast materials. [Turf]: I have a commission fee of 5% though… [Crule]: That’s fine, sell it for us. Turf grinned ear to ear. Looks like he can afford a mansion with the money he’s going to make. They finally reached the inn. It was another acquaintance of Turf. A distant relative of his opened an inn in Decaport. With the suns finally dropping below the horizon, the street lights were turned on by the city maintenance crew. The street lights were all oil lamps and must be turned on by hand. The city must be extremely wealthy to be able to hire a large group of people to turn the lamps on every night. But then again, it does provide jobs to the jobless. The smell of salty brine filled the air. The sound of aquatic avian creatures cawed in the skies as it began to quiet down. The streets were growing silent but the pubs and bars were growing louder. Crule and Ming retired to their room. Their contract with Turf will be over once he finish selling their spoils of the journey. Dante and her two companions left to another inn to meet a friend of hers. Most likely they will split parts from here on out. Crule sat on the wooden balcony of their room. Ming walked up behind him and hugged his back. [Crule]: We finally made it huh? [Ming]: It was a tiring journey. [Crule]: Yes, but now we can finally finish up another seal. [Ming]: And perhaps make a name for ourselves. [Crule]: Indeed… They enjoyed the starry skies that reflected off the enormous expanse of water that is Lake Trysl.
Chapter 126: A Decaport Tradition. Spoiler In the port city of Decaport, there was a yearly tradition that both hone the resident’s skills but also provide a burst of income for their economy. This yearly tradition didn’t come cheap though. Everyday there would be casualties, either death or injury was common place. But to those who survive the ordeal, they become stronger, richer, and wiser. This tradition was the tide change. The tides of Trysl lake changes only once a year. But the change was significant. During low tide, the beasts are farther away. Low tide persists for a majority of the year. But for one week, high tide occurs. During high tide, the very waters of Lake Trsyl wash through the streets of Decaport. Decaport’s walkways were designed to become channels for the flooded water to flow through. But with this influx of water comes the beasts that live in it. The beasts will be enraged and attack wantonly. Residents need to take arms and protect their property else it becomes damaged beyond repair. Sometimes a truly powerful beast will show up and it requires the strongest of men in the port to take down. Those who can do so are named heroes. [Crule]: And that’s how we will make a name for ourselves here. The high tide will be coming next week. The residents are already on high alert, many have already started fortifying their homes. [Ming]: I saw a group of enthusiastic young adults train. [Crule]: It’s a good time to get stronger and make money, those who have dreams of rising up the food chain that is life will willingly participate. [Ming]: How are you sure that a strong beast will appear this time? [Crule]: Because it happened before, same time, same place. [Ming]: Ohhh, I remember now. I think we arrived after the event and only saw the devastation. [Crule]: Correct. An extremely large beast tore up most of the citadel. It was a miracle anyone survived. If we can kill such a beast before the very eyes of the citizens, our name will spread across the shores of the lake. [Ming]: *chewing* Hmm. I see, I see. [Crule]: Yep, let’s make ourselves known by the adventurer’s guild first. He stabbed his fork into the last piece of cake and fed it to Ming. ______ The guild hall of Decaport was made more into a center of commerce than a meeting spot for adventurers. It certainly was big enough to be one. Considering there was more ways to turn profit here compared to Janus, it wasn’t surprising that there were actually more merchants than adventurers in the hall at the moment. It was as loud as a street market, merchants trying to one up their competitors by being louder. It seems the guild welcomes the business as the merchants have to pay a fee to set up a stall in the hall. Small groups of adventurers have to walk through a maze of merchant stalls before they could reach the front counter. Beginners were already stripped of all their money by cons and profiteers that by the time they reached the counter, they barely had the money to register as an adventurer. With the sudden influx of adventurers from the island side, the guild hall saw business like they had never seen before. Their profit over the last few months nearly equaled what they made in the past decade. This guild hall was originally for the residents of Decaport to become an adventurer of the Lake. With the Antagonist games opening, they have been “bought out” and became a universal adventurer’s guild. Crule and Ming walked past the merchants with an iron face. Nothing the merchants said or do could move them. Though it still took them nearly twenty minutes to walk from the entrance door to the counter only a hundred meters away. As they stepped up to the counter, they realize the loud shouting and sounds have been silenced. [Crule]: It seems you guys have set up a silencing ward here. The receptionist blushed in embarrassment but as professional as ever, she recovered immediately. [Receptionist]: How can I help you today? Crule took out the bronze medallions and placed it on the counter. The receptionist was surprised but only for a moment. Although bronze rank adventurers were rare before, now they were just uncommon. The speed of which adventurers rising up the ranks was astonishing. The sheer fervor of their enthusiasm even sparked the adventuring bones of youths in this town. The receptionist scanned the medallions and flipped through her book. [Receptionist]: So you would like to register a visitor’s pass? Crule nodded. The receptionist opened her drawers and took out a plastic sheet with a barcode on it. She took the bronze medallion and placed it in a machine with the plastic sheet. A quick stamp and the medallion’s visage was imprinted onto the plastic sheet. [Receptionist]: Here you go sir. She returned the two medallions and two plastic passes. Ming took the passes and Crule took the medallions. The receptionist bowed and they left. [Ming]: Why are you always so quiet to the receptionists? [Crule]: … [Ming]: Awww, don’t tell me your still shy around other girls when with me? [Crule]: … [Ming]: Don’t worry, I’m not the jealous type. [Crule]: *coughs quietly* [Ming]: I heard that. Ming grabbed Crule’s arm and squeezed hard like an octopus latches itself onto its prey. [Crule]: *flinches* W-want to do some shopping? [Ming]: I thought you would never ask! She finally released her death grip but didn’t let go of Crule’s arm. Crule could only sigh. ______ Somewhere in the lake was a wooden canoe. Water as far as the eyes could see, not a single sight of the shore. Slowly, a mist rolled around the canoe as if it was a living creature. On the canoe was a large person. It was a bear in chainmail. It was a miracle the canoe didn’t sink under his immense weight. He was whispering to himself. [Bear]: Our new leader needs sacrifices. During high tide this year you have to attack the port yourself and get as many living humans as possible. A sinister voice slithered from the depths. [Voice]: What gives him the right to command me? I am a direct descendent of the ancient! Bear’s eyebrow raised a little. [Bear]: It seems I have to teach you the pecking order around here. The owner of the sinister voice still could not be seen. The mist swirled gently around Bear but it did not bother him. With a wave of his bear arms, a faint green aura enveloped around it. He closed his eyes and listened. Almost faster than the eye could see, Bear slapped the surface of the water and the aura traveled downwards. Immediately, a muffed grunt could be heard. [Voice]: H-how did you find me? [Bear]: Know that I can kill you whenever. Now fulfil the majesty’s orders or die a painful death. [Voice]: F-fine. The mist rolled away revealing a large pool of red blood surrounding the canoe. The bear started to row the canoe away. [Bear]: Hopefully I can find some fish to eat later…Stupid blood ruined my fishing chances.
Chapter 127: Tide pools Spoiler The southern side of Decaport directly connects to the water with channels flowing into the city through man made aqueducts. The eastern side however, was a tide pool and beach. Normally during most of the year, the tide pool was a quiet place with perhaps only half a dozen people gathering shells and crustacean. But the weeks leading up to tide change brings in a chance to make a quick profit. As the water reels back as the tide reach the lowest point, new areas of the tide pool are revealed with fresh new hunt. Perhaps you may find some treasure that got washed up from the lake. The changing tide also replenish the famished tide pools with water allowing the hibernating monsters to awaken. People gathered at the eastern coast. Restaurant providers were hunting fresh mollusks and shellfish. Tourists were enjoying the sight and wildlife. Adventurers were honing their skills against monster with hard carapaces. The place was filled with people. On a large rock perched near a shallow tide pool, Crule and Ming sat leisurely on wooden folding chairs. A hearty fire roared in front of them. The wood they used were dried drift wood. They were still not perfectly dry so smoke would billow out heavily. About an hour later, the fire started to mellow out. The smoke stopped and the fire was now burning charcoal. Crule opened his eyes and saw that the fire was ready. He reached besides him where a burlap sack was hanged on a nearly oak tree. He pulled out two enormous crab claws. They were nearly half the size of Crule. Using his dagger, he violently smashed the shell opened revealing the fleshy insides. With a quick slice, the succulent meat was dug out of the claw. Throwing the arm sized meat into the air, with blind speeds, it was diced into minced meat. A bowl appeared from the burlap sack and the meat landed neatly into it. Crule added bread crumbs from a day old bread, parsley, salt, and pepper. In a separate bowl, he beated two prairie chicken eggs and added mustard, chili flakes, and mayonnaise. The prairie eggs he got from the market earlier in the morning. Each of them were the size of his head. He combined the wet mixture with the dry and started to mix well. It looks like he made enough crab cake mix to feed a whole family. A large cast iron sheet was placed over two pieces of drift wood. It sat just above the fire and started to get hot. After splashing a bit of water on the side to see if the sheet was hot enough, Crule then brushed the sheet with a layer of oil. He formed the crab cake mix into patties and slowly placed them on the hot iron sheet. A delicious sizzle filled the air. A mouthwatering aroma attracted the attention of some nearby adventurers who were fighting a blue shelled dungeon crab. One guy didn’t dodge in time due to the smell and was punched in the face by the crab’s tough claws. He was sent flying as the rest of his team chased after him while the crab followed. Carefully, Crule flipped the patties hoping they don’t stick or collapse. After a good ten to fifteen minutes, the crab cakes were done. Ming who was sitting patiently on the wooden chair went closer to the fire. With a loving smile, Crule served the crab cakes. It was a smile he doesn’t show anyone but Ming. There were few things Crule enjoyed in his life. Cooking for his loved ones was one of them. It was a skill learned from his master, and it was a skill that allowed him to survive in the Wild. The decadent aroma of crab cakes filled the air that noon. Several adventurers got into “accidents” from it. Rumors went around that a master chef had appeared on the eastern coast and was hunting for fresh prey. Times were chaotic during the pre-tide seasons, but they were filled with excitement. ______ While Crule and Ming were enjoying their little picnic. The adventurers down in the tide pools were engaged in combat. [Male Warrior]: Marg, how soon will the spell be done? [Marg]: Soon! Keep them busy Dodge! Marg’s hands were tracing along a holographic symbol projected by her wrist band. It was the game’s way of helping magician’s access ancient spells that complements their auras. The male warrior Dodge was wearing a light metal suit and leggings. His gauntlet had a small buckler attached to it. His was currently blocking the claw of a large demon crab. The crab was the size of a small car. Its claws are big and strong enough to cut and knock down tall trees. Being able to block its claw one handed already shows how trained Dodge was. These two were adventurers who were in the earliest batch after the game started. They represent the pinnacle that an average player who had no previous knowledge of aura, magic, or martial arts, can reach. [Dodge]: It’s getting hard to keep aggro on this dam crab! [Marg]: Almost! The fine tread of energy that flowed through her fingers lined perfectly with the holographic symbol. As the final line was drawn, the symbol lit up and the hologram vanished. A visible stream of energy could be seen flowing from Marg’s two hands into the symbol. [Marg]: Now! Dodge leaped backwards, out of the shallow pool he and the crab was fighting in. The crab didn’t chase fast enough as the spell activated. An arrow of lightning flew out from the symbol and landed directly on the eye of the giant demon crab. It foamed at the mouth, twitched, and fell with a splash into the shallow pool. The two were out of breath, but the harvest was worth it. A single demon crab can supply an entire restaurant with crab meat for a day. They get a share of the cash whenever someone orders the crab dishes. This same type of crab was the main dish of Crule and Ming’s picnic. Seeing as how Dodge might have to repair his grieves soon, the cash was much needed. Constantly fighting in shallow tide pools caused his metal grieves to rust. They weren’t the best grieves, but they provide enough protection for his lvl. [Dodge]: Good job Marg! [Marg]: Thanks! Let’s take a rest before who haul this crab back to town. [Dodge]: With the materials that we got today plus this crab, we finally made quite a bit of money. [Marg]: Yea, the speed which I can draw my spells have gotten faster too. Hopefully one day I can do it without the hologram assistance. In terms of martial strength, these two could be considered borderline second gate. Having becoming inoculated with the nanodes, all adventurers have passed their first gate. The miracles of science prevailed over old fashion martial path. After their aura and energy capacity have been tested, the nanodes are injected. The person will immediately experience the opening of their first gate as their path becomes laid out before them. This sort of predetermined path never gets far. The true path to power comes with self-evaluation. Having the path laid for you only results in minimal results. They can access their aura, energy, and can use spells. But special abilities they develop themselves? That will only occur when they reveal a gate on their own. The game opens a door, the adventurers steps through it.
Chapter 128: A new low. Spoiler The mayor of Decaport looked out the window. The rich and bountiful tide pools could been seen from his office window. The sheer number of people hunting there was staggering. It was quite an event. But even with all with frantic hunting and festivities, the mayor still had an extremely grim look on his face. [Mayor]: What are the reports? The assistant standing by the door walked forward. [Assistant]: It’s a record new low. A full five kilometers. The mayor frowned. Before every high tide, the water must first retreat back to its farthest point. The farther it retreats, the more tide pools are revealed, but at the same time, the more the high tide will flood when time comes. [Mayor]: Will our barriers hold? [Assistant]: We will need to evacuate zone one and two. The zones are separated by the distance from the shore. Richer people enjoy the view of the lake so they live in the first two zones. As zones go up, more industry is seen. Zone 9 are just farmlands near the exit gate of the city leading towards the rest of the Wilds. [Mayor]: I can imagine those wealthy bastards demanding insurance due to water damage. They knew about the dam tides, why the hell would they build such brittle mansions so close to the water’s edge. The mayor rubbed his temples as his headache grew. The upper class were the least of his worries right now. The money to repair the town have been saved up over the last months since their last repair. They have enough to fix it, especially with all the new adventurers flocking in providing more income to the people. What he was worried about, was the casualties. The highest the tide travels, the more dangerous the monsters it brings with it. The last record low caused the entire first zone to be flooded and a titan tortoise to trample across three zones, destroying many buildings and causing countless casualties. It took hours upon hours of constantly bombardment from countless adventurers to slowly whittle the beast down. If something even stronger than the tortoise appears this year, they may loss far more lives. Lost buildings can be rebuilt but lost lives can never be returned. Families who lost their main bread earner fall into despair. Loved ones perish and those who remain are forever reminded by the hole they have left. Some turn to revenge and participate in future tides with a vengeful fervor. The mayor doesn’t want to imagine the bleak sight of what was to come. He sighed. [Mayor]: Send out evacuation notices immediately. By the looks of it we only have a week before it hits. Years of living at Decaport gave the mayor a deeper understanding of the lake. It was both the provider and the taker. A blessing and a curse. [Mayor]: Hopefully I will live to serve my last year’s term before retirement… The assistants nearly slapped themselves on their face. They all thought the same thing. Really now? Are you really going to raise your own death flag like this? ______ Crule remembered from his previous world how the tide change affected the town this particular year. He wasn’t there for it, but the records were shown. He remembered this year was supposed to be a mellow year after the year before had the titan tortoise. But seeing the tide crawl further back than he remembered, he realized something was wrong. History wasn’t going the way it should. [Crule]: Something serious may happen this tide change. [Ming]: How serious? [Crule]: Serious enough for the entire port to be destroyed. [Ming]: So enough to make sure our names are spread across the entire lake? [Crule]: Definitely. I just hope enough of the town survives to tell the tale of our heroism. A certain level of arrogance could be heard in their voices. A certain type of arrogance that comes with the knowledge that nothing can truly kill you. Originally, this arrogance could not be spotted in them. But being back in their youth, their adolescent self was finally having an effect on them. Hormones really drives teens to do crazy rebellious things. Crule was thinking about other things as well. Like why did his past self seal part of the memories he passed on? He understood why the part was sealed about the android but he doesn’t know whether or not anymore were still hidden in his subconscious. The androids were scouts of a certain group. They manage anomalies, mainly with those that affect the time line. Crule never had much contact with them, but he had heard stories about them from the Sage. It was one of the main reasons the Sage doesn’t go back in time and fix everything himself. It was why the Sage limited his own power. The group was always watching. To make sure people don’t screw around with time. The scout probably sent information about him back to the group. Hopefully they will deem him as harmless to the correct path and allow him to do what he came back to do. Hopefully a future where chaos destroys everything is not the correct path. ______ The picnic ended as the suns were setting. [Crule]: Want to have a quick spar to help digestion? [Ming]: A spar? Between you and me? [Crule]: Just a spar, no aura or abilities, just physical strength. [Ming]: And here I thought you wanted to destroy the place… Ming leap up and took her jacket off. [Ming]: Let’s do this. Crule smiled. They both jumped down into the wide shallow tide pool under them. They stood 25 meters apart. [Ming]: Whenever you’re ready. Crule nodded as he shot a small ball of energy into the air. It slowly descended and upon touching the water, it made a loud bang and a small explosion of air. Ming and Crule vanished from their spot. A large splash of water were all that remained from where they stood. The first clash, Ming performed a high kick. Crule blocked with his arm but barely. The strength of Ming’s kick caused his balance to tip as Crule started spinning. Using the centripetal force, Crule performed a kick as well. Ming backed away quickly, dove low and tried to get under the kick as she realize she can’t back away fast enough. The kick scrapped the top of her hair as a few strands left their original place. Crule was in freefall from the failed kick as Ming leaped from her crouched position. A punch was aimed directly at Crule’s sides. Twisting his body with as much effort as he can, he barely dodges the punch from Ming. As Ming flew past him, Crule chopped with his hand, trying to hit her shoulder. The chop lands on her shoulder and she was slammed toward the shallow pool. Using her other hand, she quickly pushes against the ground and does several flips as she regains her balance. Crule lands several meters away as the turning of his body caused him to also perform several flips to rebalance himself. The exchange happened extremely fast. The water finally had a chance to catch up as a huge shockwave cause it to blast outwards. The water drizzled down on the two as they stare each other down. [Crule]: One for me. [Ming]: Lucky hit. With their auras protecting their bodies, the worst that could happen was a bruise. As the falling water slowly comes to a stop, they began their second exchange.
Chapter 129: Just a spar. Spoiler Sharp winds blew past the two as their fists collides. The shockwave created an outward explosion of water. They were steadily depleting the tide pool of water. The sound of their spar has attracted a few onlookers. The onlookers didn’t dare to get close though. Their mouths were wide open in both shock and awe. Crule and Ming separated from their exchange only to immediately dash back into it. Ming once again goes for a high kick. Crule ducks this time instead of taking it head on but as he crouches, Ming’s leg changed direction and started to slam downwards into a drop kick. Crule quickly lifted his arms over his head and cushioned the blow. His knees bent and body lowered to absorb the blow the best he could. But the strength of the blow was quite powerful. It caused another shockwave which shook the tall rocks around them where the onlookers were hiding behind. Crule took advantage of how long Ming needed to recover from such a kick and grabbed her ankle with both hands. With a twist of his waist, he threw Ming toward a wall. Ming did a flip to position herself as such she lands feet first onto the wall. Using the force of the throw to bounce back caused her body strain but it wasn’t enough to cause actual damage. She kicked off the wall like a spear directly at Crule. The greenish rock wall crumbled at the force of her kick. The debris fell into the tide pool displacing most of the remaining water. Good thing there was no one behind that rock or they might have been seriously hurt. Crule dodged by rolling to the left since he was already kneeled on the ground. The remaining water slowed his rolling and Ming manage to kick deep into the ground nearly hitting him. She left a sizable crater in the tide pool around three feet wide. Crule stared at the ground and felt a shiver crawl up his spine. [Crule]: H-hey we are still just sparring right? Ming smiled, but all Crule could feel from that smile is rage. [Ming]: You dare throw me? [Crule]: Shit. Crule realized he messed up. He forgot the thing Ming hated the most was someone throwing her by the ankles. Flames ignited in her eyes. [Ming]: Lets “spar” some more. She said as aura enveloped her body. [Crule]: W-whoa there, wasn’t this supposed to be a spar. [Ming]: It is, we are just upping the ante. She cracked her knuckles while slowly walking toward Crule. The onlookers walked to run from the bloodlust they feel from the fight but it was too interesting. Some even started to record the fight. Crule gulped. [Crule]: F-fine, let’s make it a real spar then. Aura enveloped his body as well. Their aura acts as a protective cover over their body so they can hit each other with harder blows. Crule punched the ground and made a large hole. The punch also splashed what remained of the water upwards blocking Ming’s view. Crule lunged from his spot toward where Ming was hoping to get a sucker punch in. But as he emerged from the water, Ming was no longer there. [Crule]: Where? Oh shit. A shadow loomed over his head. Ming slammed downwards like a meteor directly hitting Crule in the back. The aura visibly bends and Crule was slammed into the ground. A crater in the shape of his body formed on the rocky ground now devoid of water. A drop of blood dripped from Crule’s mouth. Although his aura protected him from the hit, it still shook up his internal organs. Ming grinded her feet on Crule’s back. [Ming]: Do you concede? Crule only laughed weakly. His aura suddenly flared and expanded. The force pushed Ming off of him and back several meters. Crule once again dashed at her. He stopped immediately near her chest and uppercuts. The blow his Ming’s chin and sends her flying several meters into the air. Crule quickly followed up by leaping after her. A barrage of punches and kicks follow. Ming wasn’t fully prepared and could only block half of the blows. Finally Crule balled his fists and slammed her downwards. She lands with a shocking sound in another tide poor adjacent to them. As she bounce back upwards by the blow, a drop of blood also escaped her mouth. Crule landed a few meters away panting. [Crule]: D-do you give up? He said panting. Ming slow got up while rubbing her chin. [Ming]: That was unfair. *cough* Why do you gotta be so rough on your wife. *cough* She said angrily while coughing due to the water getting in her lungs. [Crule]: Well, you… Crule realize he couldn’t talk back as she didn’t do anything wrong. He sighed and walked up to Ming. He took out a blanket and draped it over her with a hug. [Crule]: Sorry…I love you. Ming looked at Crule like he was an idiot. [Ming]: You realize the spar isn’t over right? [Crule]: What? The next thing he knew, the ground was coming up awfully fast. ______ When Crule woke up, the moons were already visible as were the countless stars in the sky. A dull headache and ringing in his ears told the story of what happened to him. He saw Ming sat beside a roaring fire with her clothes drying on a tree branch nearby. The sound of water told him they were still at the tide pools. He slowly got up clutching one hand to his head. [Crule]: How long was I out? [Ming]: A good two hours. Crule sighed. [Crule]: I guess we’re even now? [Ming]: Mhm. Crule sighed again. It seems he was sighing a lot more now days. [Crule]: I’ll cook your favorite for dinner then… Ming finally turned around with a smile. [Ming]: I won. [Crule]: Sure, sure. He sat next to her by the fire. Then kissed her on the cheek.
Chapter 130: The first hour. Spoiler It was the night before the tide surge. The mayor had gathered all the top adventurers who were still in town. He looked down from the podium with a grim expression. The gathered adventurers looked back with the upmost serious of expressions. All of them were tense. Crule and Ming were standing in the back in the corner of the room. Due to the serious atmosphere, they too were not in their usual smirks. [Mayor]: I have said what had to be said. This tide will be the biggest in the history of our coastal town. The first few zones will be completely submerged in water. Everyone had already evacuated. Those who stayed can only blame their own stubbornness. Thus we are giving up on the first two zones. The mayor expressed the seriousness of the tide change yet the lofty nobles who live near the waters wouldn’t budge. The mayor can only sigh. [Mayor]: We assume the most commons of beasts will swarm the latter zones. Hammer and Scissor crabs will flood in. They are too strong for most of the beginner adventurers so I hope some of you veterans will help. The adventurers nodded. [Mayor]: We have around four thousand participating adventurers this time around. Each of you veterans will take a handful and spread out over the zones. Some of the adventurers in the room visibly scoffed. The one thing some veterans hated the most were overzealous newbies. [Mayor]: In the case of pistol clams and electric tunas, we beg of you to divert their attention away from infrastructure. The mayor hoped that recovering from the tide change wouldn’t be too much of an issue. After a long meeting, the mayor, who was covered in sweat, finally finished. The veteran adventurers were led out of the meeting room into the auditorium filled with beginners. A few thousand beginner adventurers were chatting in the huge auditorium. Most of them were between lvl15 to 30. Given how deep Lake Trysl was in the Wild, anyone below 15 must have been born in the town. A single lvl15 adventurer can do nothing to a scissor crab but a dozen can at least stall it. This is why a veteran adventurer was in charge of a group. So they can finish off the corralled beasts. The mayor hurried to the middle of the crowd and tapped the voice amplifier on the stage. [Mayor]: Beginner adventurers, please group up and choose a veteran you wish to work under. The few veteran adventurers lined up on stage with some distance between each other. The beginner adventurers started to scramble and line up in front of a veteran they either worshiped, or want to learn something from. To them, this was a chance to have a rapid period of growth. As some people say, power-leveling. Crule and Ming stood next to each other. They were a pair. Although the mayor wanted to separate them so the town would get more coverage. He couldn’t bring himself to ask. The people who lined up in front of them were the onlookers from their spar at the tide pools. They personally have seen how strong the two were, so they were eager to join. Soon a dozen people stood before the pair. Crule looked at the group and sighed. He didn’t really get anyone with overwhelming potential. Even Dodge and Marg joined his group. The two had seen the spar on their way back to town with their crab corpse. They were utterly shocked. If only they can one day achieve such levels of movement… In the group of adventurers, Dodge and Marg were in the upper ranks, both in the early 30s in level. The two being able to take down a crab beast shows how good they were. Most lvl 15 to 30 can’t even damage the hard carapace. Soon the beginners were completely divided among the veterans. Some had many, some had few. The mayor didn’t make them balanced. He knew that the beginners may work harder to show off to their idols. All the mayor had to do was to put the larger groups in the more dangerous areas. The mayor said a few words of thanks and bowed. The adventurers bowed back and left. The night was ending as dawn approached but the twin suns were blocked by the stormy clouds above. The cause of the tides had many theories. The clouds above always appear during the tide change. Some theorize that it’s a magnetic storm and that the charged particles in the cloud brings the waters that have built up a charge over the year. Some say it’s a large creature in the lake that hibernate for most of the year, getting up to feed. Some even say it’s the cause of the nine moons aligning. No one can prove their theory but yet they can’t disprove it either. The veterans led the beginners to their designated areas. Crule and Ming’s small group of slightly over a dozen was left a small district in zone four. The group on the front lines was Captain Cytex. A veteran adventurer turned ship captain. He was born in the lake town and lived there most his life. He left his large group bunkered down at the main street of the third zone, right where the flood will enter. Cytex himself headed toward the port with haste. He leaped off the roof of buildings with high agility. If Cruel had seen it, he would judge him to be a silver ranked adventurer. He had to be around lvl50s. This would mean five gates opened…But his newest gates must have been opened in recent years because there wasn’t anyone that high before. He had to be a Monarch before the start of the games. Four gates to be called a Monarch…Now he has five. He was now an Ancient. Upon reaching the port, he stood on top his boat and stared intently at the cloud over the horizon and the grey wall slowly approaching from the distance. [Cytex]: Not this time, I won’t let anyone die this time… A flame burned in his eyes. The flames of anger and vengeance. He promised himself to kill as many beasts as he could. To avenge his dear wife. To protect his children. This was something he must do.
Chapter 131: The second hour. Spoiler The pitch black clouds loomed overhead. The sound of roaring thunder crackled in the air, shaking the very foundation of the vessel. The small decrepit boat rocked back and forward along the docks. Although it’s tied to the wooden pier with a strong hemp rope, the sheer force of the rocking slowly wore away at the knot. The strong winds blew past causing the window to clack open and close as the owner forgot to lock them. Suddenly, the downpour came. Raindrops the size of fists fell from the darkened heavens like ten thousand fists of fury. The thunder roared along making it seems as if the skies were angry at the earth. In this hellish storm, on this broken down ship. Stood a bearded man. His bronze skin tanned from the long exposure to the twin suns. His beard grew wild like a bush on drugs. His eyes bloodshot, staring like a crazed maniac with purpose. The piercing gaze stared at the wall of grey that followed the dark clouds, heavy rain, and explosive thunder. A large tidal wave, approached slowly yet rapidly. From the distance it seemed as if it was not moving at all, but in reality, it was traveling like a stampede of watery death. The ragged man stared at the wave with both pride and fear. [Cytex]: Come at me! I do not fear you! He screamed over the sound of rain hammering his boat and the crackling of thunder. Lightning flashed brightening up his pitch dark view. The wave was now nearly upon him. The towering wall of liquid death loomed several meters high. One nearly had to turn their neck 90 degrees to see the top. But those who was about to do that were already dead. The wave swallowed everything. The docks, the boat, the man. His fight although brave, was completely impossible to win. The dark waters finally slammed down upon the port. It destroyed the wooden infrastructures and battered the stone supports. The water flooded everything, pushing everything that wasn’t tethered to the ground along with it. Debris was the second most dangerous thing after the force of the rushing waters. Those who chose to stay behind didn’t stand a chance. The water and debris consumed them with an appetite that only a force of nature could have. The first to third district immediately vanished underneath the black waters. It was one more zone than the mayor expected. As the flowing water started to slow down, they did not recede. It was then, the beasts and monsters came. Large monstrous crabs with claws capable of cutting steel or smashing reinforced metal. Swarms of shellfish with powerful water pistols that could penetrate even diamond. No one was safe. The beasts attacked any living thing other than themselves with the fervor of a vengeful ghost. Those who chose to fight did what they could, but the numbers were overwhelming. The death toll rose rapidly like a stream of people falling into a large watery blender. The ones who were trying to escape ran with fear and tears in their eyes, mucus dribbling from their nose and their pants soiled. This was the sight of war, of death, and of the great power that nature holds. Beginners who had never seen such wide scale carnage had their feeble mind broken. The crab monster used its two large claws and scooped up half a dozen people, immediately severing them in half and consuming their flesh. Newbies died left and right. If they had only not panicked and grouped together to take the crab down, they would have all survived although with some injuries. Blood dyed the water brick red. The foam around the crab’s mouth were pink from blood. Suddenly, from the very water underneath the crab, a bearded man with a harpoon leaped out like a dolphin. It was Cytex, the old man of the sea. He was battered but not dead. His harpoon stabbed into the bulbous eye of the crab. A sharp shriek emitted from the crab. Cytex stepped on the carapace of the crab and rend the harpoon from its eye. Bluish blood flowed from the crab vigorously. But it was not dead yet. With the strength that only an Ancient could have, Cytex stabbed the harpoon directly into the brain of the crab. The crab who was lifting its claws trying to pry the thing off its back violently shook and collapsed into the flowing water with a splash. It was promptly carried off by the brackish waters. Cytex stood on top of a rock that barely stood out of the water. [Cytex]: Fight citizens! It’s out only hope! His words sparked the fighting spirit of those who were fleeing in fear. After all, those who stayed had a certain confidence in their strength. Most low level adventurers had left and those who remained are young adult adventurers over level twenty. They were strong enough to survive and was looking to make a profit or a name for themselves. As a seasoned veteran of the tides, Cytex was one that was very familiar with the yearly massacre. He always grumbles when he sees kids who haven’t seen the horrors of the tide and lose their will just from the sight of death. The group cheered. Those who were standing on the roofs of buildings stabbed their spears downwards at the crabs and shellfishes who were trying to knock them down. It only kept them at bay but cannot hurt the beasts. Cytex was weaving through the waters like a man with sea legs. Everywhere he goes, a corpse would appear. The water would then promptly carry it off back into the dark depths. Some fire arrows and guns at the monsters. Their hard carapace and shells are barely penetrated. It seems only Cytex’s harpoon that was encased in his aura can actually do any damage. Some even use explosives only to find the water nullifying most of the damage. The rain still poured washing the blue blood off Cytex. It seems this district for now, was protected. The other district each had their own veteran keeping the group of newbies in check. In the other district, another man was standing on top of a tall building. In his hand was a large black metal cannon. A cigar hang from his mouth as smoke rose from it. Amazingly it was not put out by the downpour. Lifting the cannon onto his shoulder, he used his cigar to light the fuse. From the cannon shot out a large spiked ball. It slammed into a nearby crab, completely crushing it. Blood and organs flowed from its corpse into the waters. [Cannon Man]: There seems to be more beasts than usual… With a wave of his other hand, another spiked cannonball was loaded into the cannon. The other adventurers around him were frantically shooting arrows and bullets down at the approaching monsters. The cannon man didn’t like taking care of younglings but during times like this, it was his obligation. [Cannon Man]: Damn kids these days can’t even kill a fly. The onslaught of thousands of crabs, shellfish continued as if to no end. The blood, flesh, and organs flowed along the water back into the depths where a large serpentine creature lies. He was the descendant of an ancient. Its large maw opened, rapidly consuming all the fleshly debris. It was feeding, growing, slowly building its strength for the final wave. Cruel and Ming could sense the large creature heading towards the bay. [Crule]: This aura…so it’s that thing… His smirk once again plastered his face.
Chapter 132: The fourth hour. Spoiler After several hours of fighting, the beginner adventurer are starting to thin out. Those who were wounded or killed had left the battlefield. Those who remain are either lucky or the cream of the crop in their ranks. The veterans had higher stamina and made less mistakes thus they could hold out for much longer. But having to protect several idiotic mistakes performed by the beginners, they too started to show signs of fatigue. The darkness crawled further in as midnight approaches. The entire town was shrouded in a pale darkness. The only thing that provided some relief are the light of the moons and the remaining few street lamps who still glimmered in their bioluminescence. Cytex look back at his group. Only two dozen adventurers remain. They were the ones strong enough to survive till now so he had some trust in them to cover his back. The tide has retreated for now, preparing for its second surge. The remaining monsters lost their advantage in the waters. They either fled or were slaughtered by the adventurers. Large quantities of crab and shellfish corpses littered the soaked streets along with debris from buildings. An unimaginable amount of sand was also washed up by the tide. The once pristine cobblestone pathways have been fully covered by a deep layer of sand. The thunder boomed above the skies and the rain seemed to settle down into a light drizzle. Suddenly, a small movement in the sand. It went unnoticed by the beginners but Cytex caught a glimps of it. [Cytex]: Shit, everyone on alert! We got sand monsters! His warning came a bit late as a large bee erupted from the sands and with its large mandibles tore straight into an unsuspecting beginner’s throat. It ripped half his neck off completely as it quickly dove back into the sand, digging rapidly with its front and hind legs. A trail of blood oozed from the soaked sand. The beginner fell over dead, large quantities of blood poured from what remained of his neck. [Cytex]: Shit, GET YOUR ASS READY! The shocking scene and Cytex’s shout got the remaining beginners to break out of their relaxed form and back into a fighting stance. A faint buzzing could be heard from the sand underneath them. Having seen how fast the bee shot from the ground, most beginners would not be able to dodge it. Cytex had to cover them which further increased his fatigue. Alone, he perhaps would be able to last several days, but with the situation as it is now, at best he may last another six hours. Like a pebble being kicked, three bees shot from the sand toward one beginner. Perhaps it’s his fatigue showing but the adventurer couldn’t move. He moved his sword upwards trying to deflect the one aiming at his neck but the other two gorged into his sides. Cytex quickly rushed up to the kid and stabbed one of the bees but couldn’t make it in time for the other. Two out of three bees deflected but the last one still took a chunk out of the poor beginner’s sides. Blood flowed generously down into the sand as another victim fell limp down onto the ground. [Cytex]: Everyone huddle together! Protect each other’s backs! Cytex thought if the group could encase themselves into a circle, perhaps the bees will only attack from one side. The beginners shuffled into a circle as fast as they could. The ones who were far too tired to fight were stood in the middle. Cytex stood on top of a street lamp and stared down at the sands. The buzzing got louder and more aggressive. This time, half a dozen bees erupted from the sand and dove toward Cytex. With a spin of his harpoon, he blocked five of them and stabbed the land one. Taking a closer look at the bee revealed it to be a drone type sand bee. [Cytex]: Only a drone? Damn. If we’re already being tied down by drones, I wonder who had to deal with the soldier sand bees… ______ Crule looked down at the ground. He covered it completely with his aura. Under the night sky, the aura made the ground looked as if it doesn’t exist. It reflected the sky making it blend into the horizon. The adventurers following Crule were all alive, albeit a tad tired. They fared far better than their peers in other groups. The bees that popped out of the ground were at least triple the size of the ones Cytex’s group was fighting. They were the soldier bees with large drill-like teeth on their mandibles. But no matter how menacing they looked, they were immediately snatched by a dark tendril that stuck onto their body when they shot from the sands. The tendril dragged them down back into the dark aura. The sound of dissolving could be heard as the bees ‘entered’ the darkness. Crule’s aura was slowly fueled itself with the energy contained in the bees. It didn’t even tired him at all with the sheer amount of bees attacking him. Ming was lecturing the adventurers. It seem at some point, they wanted a few points but Crule was too busy to teach them. Most beginners would have no idea how to control their auras. They were taught how to use spells and how to develop gates. Many had no idea they had such a thing in them. They accepted the gates as mere ‘milestones’. After teaching them about their auras. The adventurers glowed nearly every color on the rainbow. Their auras covered their hands as they played around with them. Like children discovering a new toy, they practiced manipulating their aura into different shapes. The more adept adventurers could mold their aura into a thin layer that cover their entire body. The less adept could at best make their aura into a sphere or a cube to be thrown. Those with small energy pools immediately felt heavy and tired. They sat down panting for air. Ming instructed all of them on combat with auras. Crule’s forces were only getting stronger while the rest were decreasing.
It's my birthday so heres some chapter ;3 Chapter 133: The eighth hour. Spoiler The bee onslaught continued deep into the late morning. The twin suns tried their best to pierce through the dark looming clouds but to no avail. Although it was almost noon, the skies were as dark as ever. The brackish waters retreated to the coast, waiting to surge once again. Most of the veterans had realize the beginners had no chance again the bees. They had them group up and retreat while they themselves protected the group. In the end, the beginners were mostly gathered at the giant stadium while the veterans were outside protecting the place. The bees manage to push to the fifth zone. It was a good thing the mayor demanded everyone evacuate the first ten zones or the casualties would be overwhelmingly high. The last group to arrive was Crule’s group. Instead of a fleeing group of beginners being protected by the veteran, Crule’s group was actually holding its own against the bees. The veterans stared in disbelief. The group even manage to take on the stronger soldier bees. Having split into pairs, the group each protected each other’s backs in a twin formation. Their aura protecting their bodies to the extent that the soldier bees could not penetrate it. This doesn’t mean they are impervious as instead of a violent slash, they suffer from blunt force instead. The bees still rammed their aura causing their body to be bruised and broken. Thankfully, it allow them to survive as the beginners were not instantly killed like the rest. The ones who messed up and failed to defend against attack usually are battered to the point of broken bones. But none died as Crule and Ming still kept a watchful eye over them. They put in the effort to train them, they aren’t going to let it go to waste so soon. Soon the group reached the front gates of the stadium. The beginners quickly entered and collapsed on the floor. Their stress levels were at a maximum but their experience tempered them. Crule and Ming nodded at the Veterans and stood outside. The bee onslaught halted as the ground near the stadium had less sand. They could not hide in the shallow sands thus taking away their main advantage. The veterans confirmed all the beginners who were left alive had gathered in the stadium. They let out a sigh of relief. They don’t have to focus on protecting but instead they can now fight back against the horde of bees. The veterans were sending messages among one another. The general consensus was the Bees are a hive mind. Take out the mind, and you are left with mindless drones. Although still dangerous, they are not as deadly as before since coordination was their most powerful asset. The younger more eager veterans were ready to go at it but they didn’t immediately leave. A group have to remain to protect the people gathered in the stadium. Only a handful of veterans who were either tired, injured, or have family among the beginners, stayed behind to protect the stadium. Crule and Ming were among the hunting group. The veterans who were in the hunting group gathered and set off. Crule and Ming followed. They traveled through the zones all the way to the first zone, where the waters still dominated. The water was shallow but it covered the entire ground. A large sand dune peaked over the waters. From the dune, countless number of bees erupted forth in formation. They attacked the veterans. Like circus acrobats, the veterans skillfully dodged with fineness. Not having to protect a group really removed the weight on their backs so they were all moving exaggeratedly. The bees were killed left and right. These veterans know how to use aura but only to the point of covering their body and weapon. Their reinforced weapons stabbed into the bee’s hard exoskeleton like chopsticks into meatball. Few knew how to apply their attribute. The few who knew, were the flashiest. One person was roasting the bees with twin flamethrowers that spewed from his palms. The bees drop while immolated in a blazing fireball. The bees’ hive mind knew that he was more dangerous than the rest so most bees were sent his way. Soon, he was nearly overwhelmed by them. The other veterans sighed and helped him get away from the entrapment. One veteran said to the flame man. [Veteran]: Don’t be so damn flashy so early, wait until we are in the hive itself. Doing it out here in the open is just screaming at the bees to target you. He admonished the young man. With a dejected look, the young man went back to killing bees with the simplest methods, aura covered weaponry. The group of veterans slaughtered their way to the sand dune hive. Corpses of bees rained from the rooftops of what remained of the buildings. Upon reaching 100 meters from the dune, larger bees started to appear. They were above the worker and soldier bees, they were the guard bees. Having two strong serrated jaws allows the bee to clamp, cut, and eviscerate enemies of the hive. Carried on four pairs of large wings, the mass of guard bees attacked the veterans. They put up a strong defense. Some weaker veterans were barely a match for two guard bees. The ones who could not hold their own against two bees were suddenly faced with four, then six, then eight, and so on until they could no longer hold and was ripped apart. The hive mind of the bees made them target the weakest link, the veterans who could not hold their own against a pair of guard bees. Crule only shook his head and sighed. Over eagerness will only lead to death in situations like these. Do not underestimate your enemy. With his dagger rotating in a ball of his aura, Crule made it orbit him like a satellite. The two guard bees who got even remotely close to him was immediately killed by the rotating dagger drilling holes in them. The Bees that attacked Ming died quicker. She cause blood spikes to erupt from their heads. She then control the two corpses of the guard bee to fight with the other bees. The jaws of the guard bee tore into each other as her new puppets destroyed two more guard bees. Taking control of more corpses, Ming built was building an army with the guard bee corpses.
Chapter 134: The ninth hour. Spoiler The veterans who were easily overwhelming the bees looked in awe at Ming. The situation quickly turned in their favor as the corpses piled up. Soon there were more guard bee corpse fighters than there are live ones. Ming released her control on the bees and they collapsed into a pile of broken bodies. The remaining veterans nodded. Some even gave Ming a thumbs up. The veterans now split into groups of two to four and dove into the hive. Being split up was better as to divide the hive’s defenses across the entire dune. Crule and Ming declined any offers to join other groups and dove in themselves. [Crule]: Nice job. I got that all recorded. Crule took out a crystal. Ming smiled. [Ming]: Might as well take this opportunity. [Crule]: Ha, some may say you’re a necromancer now. [Ming]: The less they know about our powers, the better. Crule nodded. He could feel two individuals watching their every move. The bees inside the hive were mostly worker bees. The soldier bees were sent out to attack and the guard bees were mostly killed. The main danger inside the hive was the knight bees. They protect the queen and the eggs and were the strongest of the bees. The knight bees were more humanoid and on their four arms were razor sharp protrusions. Their legs are extremely powerful and they jump like a cricket. On top of their head was a thick domed exoskeleton with an extremely sharp stinger. The poison secreted from it was a strong neurotoxin that can cause death immediately. It would stop the heart of most large creatures. The veterans who struggled with the guard bees would stand no chance if they were to face on by themselves. This was why they grouped up before entering. Perhaps with some lucky, they will only face one or two and be able to take it down before more shows up. Very quickly a dark shadow buzzed from the sandy walls and stopped in front of Crule and Ming. It was a knight bee flying gallantly with its arms crossed. Two stingers the size of human heads mounted on the backside of each of its hands. Crule and Ming got into a battle stance. The knight bee made a buzzing noise and charged forth. It kicked at Ming but she blocked it with her blood shield. It force however, pushed her back, away from Crule. It seems its intention was to split the pair. Ming was blasted back and through a hole that suddenly opened behind her. She landed in another room and was now faced with two knight bees. [Ming]: Ha, they underestimate me. The bees hive mind learned how dangerous Ming was from the fight with the guard bees outside. They singled her out and placed two knight bees to deal with her. Ming, who normally doesn’t use weapons, formed a poleaxe using blood. The blood quickly solidified into a reddish brown metallic substance. With a quick twirl of the poleaxe, she readied herself. ______ In the other room where Crule was left alone with the first knight bee, a fierce close ranged combat persisted. Barely using any aura, Crule fought the knight bee with physical prowess only. He knew that his body is still young. He still had to train it to once again have the strong sturdy body he’s used to. His muscle strained as energy washed over them countless number of times as Crule pushed them to their limits. This continuous refinement slowly strengthened his body. The number of times Crule got hit was countless. But soon none of the hits could draw blood anymore. His skin was as tough as steel and with an extremely thin layer of aura, Crule could fully block the knight bee’s stabs. The same old ridiculing smirk appeared on Crule’s face. The knight bee was getting impatient. Compare to the other bees, the knight bees have both the hive mind as well as their own individuality. This means they had personalities too. At this moment, the knight bee really wants to stab Crule in the face. ______ Ming was spinning her poleaxe around her body. The two knight bees kept trying to get close only to be immediately repelled by the poleaxe. The speed of which the poleaxe was rotating was started to cause blades of wind to spawn and slice the surrounding. The sandy walls of the dune that was reinforced with bee secretions was starting to crumble under the maelstrom. Droplets of blood flew off the bladed edge of the poleaxe landing on the knight bee’s body. Without them noticing, the droplets of blood crawled into crevasses in their exoskeleton. This was Ming’s usual fighting style. Performing acrobatically amazing physical moves to spread her blood then suddenly activate it when they least suspect it. Those who do not know her power have no way to counter it. Her blood can even drill into aura armors. The knight bees were immediately turned into pin cushions. Ming laughed and converted her weapon back. The knight bee corpses then stood up. They were now under her control. [Ming]: Now let’s get back to Crule. The bees follow her like bodyguards. ______ Meanwhile, Crule was still toying with the single knight bee. He was feeling the effects of muscle training and was starting to feel sore. [Crule]: Let’s end this training session. Crule covered his metal hand with his aura and dash forth with blinding speeds. The fatigued knight bee didn’t dodge in time and was his square in the abdomen by Crule’s fist. The fist penetrated the bee like a block of gelatin. With a fist sized hole in it, the bee crumbled to the ground. Crule shook his hands a couple times to get the blood off then retracted his aura. Just as he finished, Ming showed up with her two new bodyguards. Crule smiled as usual. [Crule]: Shall finish up here? [Ming]: Yea, I’m getting kind of hungry. Ming runs up and hugs Crule’s arm. They walked forward to the center of the hive where a strong energy source would be felt pulsating.
Chapter 135: The tenth hour. Spoiler The queen bee was not what people would imagine. Most insect queens have a large fleshy thorax while their head and abdomen remain normal. The sand bee queen was different. Instead of being a large bulbous monstrosity, the sand bee queen was like a knight bee with a crown upon her head. When she needs to lay eggs, she has a bulbous attachment. This is saying that she can remove her thorax and enter a sort of battle mode. Having to replenish the bees that Crule and the adventurers have killed, she was currently mass spawning eggs. The eggs were brought to the chambers by the worker bees and fed. With one of the fastest metabolism seen on the planet, the bee matures in a mere hour. The sheer amount it eats is staggering though. It would grow five time its original size and would consumer food equaling to nearly a dozen times their own body mass. The bee that are born are immediately assigned a role. Most are born as workers, few were soldiers. Bees that took longer to grow become guard or knight bees. It varies depending on the food the larvae consumers. While the other adventurers were still preoccupied exploring the maze like hive, Crule and Ming pin pointed the strongest energy source and walked a straight line to it. They completely disregarded the sandy walls and just broke through them. The walls are made of sand but are reinforced by the bee’s wax. This makes them not as tough but very durable. They can bend and stretch and will absorb most blunt forces. This also means they are weak to slicing. Crule with his rotating dagger just drill holes in the walls. Soon they reached the large chamber. Hundreds of worker bees were carrying eggs and the large queen was in the center of the room. It was mostly dark but a faint yellow light shined from the very top of the room. The worker bees all suddenly turned and stared at Crule and Ming. The queen also stopped and stared. Although they were bugs, Crule felt like they entered at an inappropriate moment. Ming just coughed. The bee dropped what they were doing and all attacked. Crule quickly set up an aura shield around them. Since most were worker bees, they just collided with Crule’s aura and was consumed, flesh and all. Hundreds of buzzing was suddenly silenced as the last bee rammed into Crule’s shield head first. The momentum carried the rest of its body into the open mouth of Crule’s aura after its head was erased. The queen was still staring. With a disgusting squelch sound, she pried herself from the attachable thorax. Four sharp blade-like legs emerged. Instead of a powerful jaw or stingers, she has two holes at the ends of her arms. Immediately, two projectile stingers were fired from the holes at Crule and Ming. The stinger hit Crule’s aura and was consumed but the force still push Crule back a little. He didn’t expect the projectile to have such force. [Ming]: Want me to take it? Ming smiled mockingly. Crule frowned. [Crule]: No, I got this. He dispelled his aura shield and took out something that he hasn’t used in a while. The cannon Brigid made him. Its sleek black design glinted under the dim yellow light. Ming’s eyes widened. [Ming]: Going a little overkill aren’t we? [Crule]: Hey, I gotta make a show somehow. Crule smirked. The queen bee was observing what the two were doing. Upon seeing the cannon, the queen was alarmed. It fired off more stingers only to have them hit a solid blood wall. Ming had her hands out facing the queen. [Ming]: Take your time. I’ll pin her down. Crule reluctantly said ok. Ming kneeled down on the ground and touched the floor. From her palms, countless gallons of blood poured out forming a puddle under her. From the puddle emerged a cage. She had the two knight bee corpses carry the cage and then dashed toward the queen with her poleaxe. An intense fight ensued. Ming dashed forth and used the momentum to bring the poleaxe down at the queen. Testing the waters, the queen bee lifted her arms and two of her legs to block the blow. Feeling the axe slowly slice into her exoskeleton, the queen made a quick retreat. The poleaxe slammed onto the ground, cleaving it and leaving a long scar. Using the sudden stop of her weapon, Ming catapulted herself at the retreating bee. In her hand was another poleaxe. The original one quickly dissolve and followed behind her as an orb of blood. The queen bee was now vary of just how sharp the poleaxe was. She tried her best to dodge instead of block. Slowly being backed into a corner, the queen realized that she can’t just keep dodging forever. Ming just kept dashing straight toward the queen over and over again using the momentum of her attacks. The panicking queen bee didn’t even have a chance to fight back. Relying on the speed and agility her four legs give her, the queen bee moved left and right dodging Ming’s poleaxe. With her noticing, Ming just suddenly stopped. The queen took this chance and shot several stingers at her, but they were suddenly blocked. Confused, she looked around. It seems in all her dodging, she placed herself directly under the blood cage Ming formed at the start. The corpses of the knight bee were directly above her. It seems they dropped the cage on her. The blood cage quickly warped and stabbed deep into the ground. In desperation, the bee repeatedly slash at the cage to no avail. Every time she manages to finally chip away a piece, it would repair itself. Ming turned to Crule. She was sweating but it to her it was more of a nice exercise routine. Crule had finish charging the cannon attached to his metal hand. [Ming]: All yours. She said with her usual smile. Crule opened his eyes and smiled back. [Crule]: Thanks. He then pulled the trigger.
Chapter 136: The eleventh hour. Spoiler A loud explosion filled the hive. The adventurers who entered were all covering their heads and on the ground. The shockwave spread throughout the hive and debris fell from the ceiling and walls. Luckily, Crule manage to aim at an area without any adventurers or they would have been accidental casualties. If they were, they could only blame their bad luck. The rumbling continued for a while but it soon stopped. The adventurers opened their eyes and hurried to the source of the explosion. What they saw shocked them greatly. An entire eighth of the hive was blast clean open. One could see the outside and the grey clouds that loomed over head. At the bottom of the hive they could see burn marks on the ground spreading outwards like a fan. Burnt dust rained from the parts of the hive that were scorched by the blast. At the very bottom was Crule, still aiming with his cannon. A light billow of smoke rose from the mouth of his weapon. Ming was by his side with her index fingers in her ear, trying to block out the loud explosion. Their aura protected them from the falling debris. The adventurers looked down with their eyes wide opened and mouth hanging like they had lock jaw. Crule looked up at the numerous adventurers that gathered up. He put his cannon down and gave them a thumbs up. [Crule]: Jobs done! He smiled with a glint in his teeth. The adventurers nearly flipped a full 360 degrees. ______ With the hive destroyed, and the bees having lost their hive mind, the corpses that were still intact was carried back as spoils of war. The honey was bottled and the wax was preserved. Everything in the hive had some uses. The worker bees didn’t have much but their hairs could be used as fine needles. If it had a use for anyone, they will take it. The guard bees had a tough carapace. It could be used to make some light armor. They were dismantled carefully with a knife and large chunks of flesh was dumped leaving only hollowed out bee shells. The knight bees that were killed were extremely valuable. The stingers on their arms could be refined into weapons with paralyzing properties. Their exoskeleton was already in human shape so it required even less tinkering to be ready to use. Even their head were ripped off to be made into helmets. Nearly everything was used on a knight bee. The queen bee being completely evaporated by Crule’s cannon, could not provide any loot. The detachable thorax remained but was burned down to prevent the bees from coming back. These sand bee don’t help pollinate anything. They were carnivores and were pests to both humans and beasts alike. The yellow glow from the ceiling of the room was a fine jewel. Crule took it and gave it to Ming but Ming turned it away saying she already got something good out of it. Crule could only shrug his shoulder and place it in his bag. It seems Ming had collected quite an amount of bee blood. They will be refined and be used by her eventually. The adventurer split the loot among them without much fighting. They were obviously still stunned by the explosion. A few gave strange looks at the couple. Crule and Ming didn’t take much. They were now sitting on a chunk of fallen ceiling, enjoying some tea and snacks. Of course they used some of their newly obtained honey with their tea. The adventurers could only laugh wryly at how calm the two were. They had so many question…but that can wait till after the looting. On their way back, a few adventurer had built up enough courage to approach the couple. Their main question was to ask Crule about the weapon he had. It looked like a railgun mixed with a cannon but knowing the properties of the Wild and its anti-electricity, which could not be the case. Crule talked mildly about what it was and handed them Brigid’s business card. The adventurers paled upon seeing the card. It was extremely pink and frilly…On the pink card was a large plastic hammer toy. Holding it was a little girl (Brigid). The adventurers didn’t know what to say. Crule only smiled nicely and told them it’s not a joke. They took the cards reluctantly… Along the way, they also tried to see what things they can bring back from the corpses of worker bees. Upon finally returning back to the stadium, the veterans bragged to the others about what happened. It seemed those who stayed behind could hear the explosion and were worried. Things calmed down and people were finally de-stressing. But Crule and Ming were still wary. As the old saying goes, ‘As long as a cloud remains in the sky, the tide is not over.’ Some older veterans were also on high alert. All of a sudden, a scout who went to check up on the first zone ran into the stadium. [Scout]: S-something is coming! The adventurers all stopped what they were doing and ran outside. Upon staring at the general direction of the coast, they were shocked. A large black wall and slowly creeping towards them. Old man Cytex paled. [Cytex]: It’s a tidal wave. As if flooding wasn’t bad enough, this wave looks like it will destroy everything, even the stadium. Suddenly, a pair of glowing yellow eyes appeared inside the wave. All the adventurers were shocked. [Cytex]: T-there’s something inside the tidal wave… This was the first time they have seen something like this. They were hoping, it won’t be the last thing they ever see again. Crule smirked. [Crule]: It’s finally here. ______ Of in the distance standing on top of a tree, was the bear. Reaching down, he plucked a rip apple off a branch. With a loud crunch, he bit into the apple. He looked deeply annoyed. [Bear]: The damn bastard finally showing his face. I hope he remember to take some alive this time. Stupid glutton is eating everything.
Arc 11 Epilogue. Spoiler The world is fueled by many forces. Whether its gravity, electro-magnetism, strong or weak forces, or the forces of the occult. They make the universe work the way it does. The scientists of Noxia split the forces into two sections. The forces of nature, and the forces of the occult. The forces of nature were ones that can be explained mostly by science. The forces of the occult were ones that no one can explain them other than those who use them. In the forces of nature, gravity was the weakest. It can only attract but never repel. It cannot be shielded against, nor can it be absorbed or changed. Although it is said to be the weakest, one should not underestimate its sheer power on the large scale. Black holes are prime examples of just how powerful gravity can be. This was one force energy on Noxia can simulate. Scientists were baffled as how the energy can form a gravitational pull. Since they cannot explain it by science, gravity formed from energy was considered the occult. This is where it gets confusing. The forces of nature can be explained by science, but if recreated using energy, it’s a force of the occult. Some may be explained by science like the power of heat. Acceleration of electrons to produce heat is possible as it is known that the energy can push electrons. This also means they can slow them down thus resulting in coldness. Let’s have an example of some of the differences between occult and natural forces. As stated, heat and coldness are considered natural forces. Time and gravity are considered occult. Scientists were baffled as to how energy can affect such forces. They know it can behave like a charged electron, but how can such a thing affect the very gravity caused from density or time itself? Perhaps if they understood more about the energy swirling around on their planet, they might have discover new uses of it. ______ Brigid stared at the book on her desk. She too pondered on the forces of the world and energy. Her own energy was one of temperature control. It helped with her forging and manipulating materials. Other questions started to pop up as well. Why can we humans see the energy in a physical manifestation, aka the aura? Why can we feel the presence of the energy? Just which organ in our body allows for that? It is a sort of gut feeling like a sixth sense? Endless questions that doesn’t have an answer to filled her head. She summoned a ball of energy in her palms and just stared at it. Without filtering it through her aura, the energy was in its purest form. A ball of colorless light. Why is it a light? Why not a solid or a liquid or gas? Better yet, is it a plasma like fire? She started rotating the energy. It began to spin slowly. In motion, the energy acted like a liquid or gas, depending on its concentration. From a view point, it is a light. Perhaps science can never explain something as unique as this. Perhaps the occult should just be left in its own category. Somethings in this world just doesn’t want to be explained. Brigid dissipated the ball of energy and leaned back on her chair. She stared at the ceiling above her. The grey tiles was covered with dark spots in a pattern. It was intricate but at the same time repetitive. [Brigid]: A formation…A pattern…A lattice structure… Thoughts flowed through her head like a raging river. She remembered when her grandparents took her to see the seven seals. They were an intricate pattern woven from energy. They were timeless, endless, and mysterious. The only world she had that perfectly describe them was the occult. She thought to herself. [Brigid]: Why can’t I make a formation too? She mind was spinning with various information on patterns, formations and such. Suddenly, she realize she needs more research. Formations have been a thing for a long long time. It was brought from their original home planet. Formations have been used by shamans, mages, wizards, and many other occult jobs. They performed many tasks, including sealing, buffing, and performing mechanical processes. Some were even used in alchemy. As she thought about this, a smile appeared on her face. Looks like she found a new toy to play with. ______ The old Sage and Maximus had been walking for weeks now. Finally they reached civilization again. They came to see an old friend. Although not one of the original seven, she had been around since the beginning. Her age as timeless as they were and her powers as mysterious as ever. The old Sage shivered at the thought of her power. Maximus only teased him for it. The town they came to was a medium sized one. A thick wall made of cut stone protected the region. The outer places had fields of wheat. The suns were high in the sky and domesticated beasts were seen grazing in the fields. Upon entering the city, they headed straight for the darkest corner. Completely having its light covered by the wall, they found the building they were looking for. An inconspicuous set of stairs led downwards into a basement bar. Perhaps it was too early in the day so everything was very quiet. The garbage can was being purveyed by rodent beasts so the rustling of trash and banging of metal could be heard. The sound of wind blowing through the crevasses between the buildings created as sort of eerie tune. The sage took a deep breath and knocked on the metal door. The slit on the door opened revealing a pair of eyes. [Guard]: Whats your business? People don’t normally come this early. The Sage revealed a more serious face. [Sage of Time]: Tell your mistress old man time and Max has come to pay a visit. The guard was quiet for a moment before shutting the slit. Moments later, the metal door opened. Maximus chuckled a little while the Sage only sighed. They walked into the bar to see their old friend.
Chapter 137: Overwhelming debut. Spoiler The large tidal wave suddenly came to stop. Such a feat was impossible in the minds of humans. Perhaps only one with the power to move an entire ocean can force such a large tidal wave to stop in place. The eyes grew larger and suddenly a giant head emerged from the wave. Its large dark green body was covered in moss. Its huge scales twitched and moved as its body carried the head forward. It was like a giant snake with its mouth already wide opened. From its mouth a deep laugh erupted. [Beast]: Oh you foolish humans. Become food for the great Leviathan! Crule nearly burst out laughing. [Ming]: *sigh* Great leviathan my ass. That oversized snake is just a distant descendent of the great leviathan. Crule nodded. Suddenly, hundreds of fleshy tendrils shot from its large open mouth. It immediately impaled several unsuspecting adventurers and quickly reeled back into its mouth. Just like that, the adventurers suddenly lost a large portion of their forces. Few were keen and was barely about to either dodge or block the tendrils. Everyone’s faces paled. A primal fear crept up their spine sending shivers throughout their body. Many wanted to flee but their mind couldn’t react. Crule and Ming suddenly got serious. [Crule]: It seems our little snake here has eaten a lot more than we though. [Ming]: Perhaps that bastard is the cause of the yearly tides, taking in more and more food each year. [Crule]: If so, then we got a little bit of a problem on our side. Crule sighed. While everyone was still paralyzed by fear, Crule and Ming finally stood out. They leaped to the tallest building in the area and shouted at the beast. [Crule]: Hey, bastard. Had your fill yet? [Ming]: Yea! You damn glutton! You’re a pig not a snake! The beast’s eyes glowed with anger. [Leviathan]: Who dares mock the great Leviathan! [Crule]: Calling yourself the great Leviathan? Ha, your ancestors frown upon your stupidity. [Leviathan]: You… [Ming]: Yea you stupid pig! The leviathan who had never been insulted so much flew into a fury. He sent all hundreds of his tendrils all at the couple. Crule and Ming smiled. [Crule]: Time to show off. Devour, Onyx. [Ming]: Let’s go, Blood Valkyrie. Countless piece of armor appeared from Crule’s storage and attached themselves around the two. Soon both was fully armored in their mobile suits. [Crule]: Let’s go. The tendrils that attacked the two was grabbed by Crule in his armor. Instead of cutting them, Crule sent his aura through them like cables. It reached the Leviathan’s mouth and blinded it with hunger. Now it’s just rashly lashing out more tendrils at Crule and Ming. The surviving adventurers watched with shock and awe. [Cytex]: A-are those androids? [Veteran adventurer]: Shouldn’t be, it looked like armor. [Cytex]: *sigh* Such power…such speed. They might actually win this. Ming flew up with discs of blood under her feet and dashed toward the Leviathan’s mouth. Forming an extremely large poleaxe with her blood reserves, she slammed the poleaxe on the beast’s head. It was an extremely powerful blow and the shockwave could be felt in the group where the adventurers were. Some were knocked off their feet and was now on their butts. The blow however, was only able to shatter several of the beast’s scales. [Ming]: Quite a tough one huh? [Crule]: It’s eaten a lot. Crule still pinned down its mouth by holding its tendrils. The beast was now thrashing back n forth from the pain of Ming’s attack but the attack seem to have made it regain consciousness. [Leviathan]: You two…You DARE attack ME?! Ming once again slashed down with her poleaxe. It once again hit the Leviathan’s head with an earthshattering blow. [Ming]: Shut up, you pig. [Crule]: Let’s finish this. Crule tighten his grips on the tendrils and pulled. The leviathan lowered its head to reveal its neck. His aura gathered around his arms. Ming dissipated her poleaxe and formed two swords. [Ming]: I wonder how it tastes. She licked her lips behind her helmet. The leviathan shivered. It had been the top predator in the lake for as long as it could remember. Never before had the thought of being eaten himself had gone through his mind. He thought to himself. [Leviathan]: Shit…I didn’t want to use it here but I have to now… Suddenly a light shined from its mouth. Crule noticed the light and frowned. [Crule]: From the energy it gives off, it should be an ancient treasure… Crule quickly pulled the tendrils and launched himself toward the Leviathan’s mouth. Ming was about to swing down with her swords. When suddenly a blinding light enveloped the Leviathan. She quickly covered her eyes. [Ming]: Shit, is he running away? But before the Leviathan completely vanishes, Crule had already gotten in its mouth and stood on its teeth. He vanished alongside the Leviathan. Ming blinked a few times and saw the two had disappeared. [Ming]: An ancient treasure huh? Let’s hope Crule can get it. Ming sighed, disappointed that she couldn’t deal the final blow. With the Leviathan gone, the tidal wave quickly crashed down. The adventurers who were watching suddenly panicked. The wave was enough to destroy the entire port. [Cytex]: No… Ming casually waved her arms and an extremely long wall of blood rose from the ground. The wave crashed against the wall and was diverted. Ming made the wall lead the water back to the lake. [Ming]: Leaving me on clean up duty…humph. He better make me some good food when he comes back… The other adventurers were still stunned. [Veteran Adventurer]: S-she’s a goddess… [Cytex]: Perhaps only a deity could perform such feats… Ming flew back down and landed in front of the adventurers. With a command, she dispelled her armor and it went back to its pocket dimension. Several adventurers where already bowing down worshiping her. [Ming]: Bunch of old fools been scared silly… The other only watched in awe. Finally the clouds had cleared and a powerful ray of sunshine from the twin suns pierced down. Completely coincidentally, it landed directly over Ming. [Ming]: Well, isn’t this a happy coincident. The beam of light only solidified her status as a deity in the eyes of the shocked adventurers. [Ming]: At least it’s flashy…