by J. B. Smith
"He knows me," Douglas replied proudly.
Douglas came in and I followed behind him. The house was quite dark and had no decoration. It was just a basic little round house. Standing in the corner stood a small man with a head in the shape of a triangle. He wore a little blue dress and had spiky red hair. I expected a wise old man or something. Not this guy. But I never wanted to judge a book by its cover. Too many people told me not to do this. So I gave him the benefit of the doubt. “I came here to get information,” I said airily.
"Of course it does," the mage replied in a surprisingly deep voice.
Douglas bowed to the mage. "Sir, he is my cellmate."
Damn, that mage had the troll in line. "Do you share a cell with Douglas?" Asked the mage.
“Yeah,” I replied.
"Very well," replied the mage.
“I came to your house to ask for advice on Nightfall Magic. I want to know his weakness.
"Almost everything has a weakness if you look closely," replied the mage. “And smart players prepare for it. But many don't.
"How are they preparing?"
"They're doing their research."
I started to think of Cosmo sitting in the bar drinking. I doubted he would do much research. "So how do I defeat someone who primarily only uses NightFall Magic?"
The mage put a hand on my shoulder. "You take him away and you use him against him."
I rubbed my hands. I liked the sound of it. "But how? How can I do this? Please tell me more."
“You will learn that there are many weapons in this world. Some of these weapons can actually override other weapons. Having a wide range of weapons and armor is essential. "
"What weapon? What weapon do I need to defeat this man?
The mage laughed. "Patience. Only time will give you your answer.
Time? I had a lot of time. "I have all the time in the world."
“So open your ears and just listen.”
I tried to open my ears, but they just moved a little. The mage rested his chin against his chest. “There are a few shields that can absorb his magic. But, you will need a specific potion for this to work. The shield and the potion are not important in themselves. But, when combined, things get different. "
Douglas eagerly approached us. "Where can he find that shield and that potion?"
"The most affordable shield is in the Henderson store."
Henderson? I remembered him. Seemed to be a pretty nice NPC. "What about the potion?" Where can I find it? "
The mage pointed at himself. “I have the information you need. I am well known here for a reason. "
"How?"
“It's not just a question of price. But, what experience do you have in alchemy? "
My head fell off. “Not much,” I replied.
"How?"
“Well, none. I don't really have any experience yet. "
The mage put both hands behind his back. "I'll show you how to make the potion." But, since you have no experience, the effects will be very small. The potion will still enchant the shield, but won't absorb your opponent's magic as well as it could .
"But it will still work pretty well, right?"
"It's hard to say," replied the mage. “It will work. But it might take a lot of patience before it starts to build up its magic.
"So what's the name of the shield I need to get?"
"The Shield of FlatStone."
"Alright," I replied. "I'll go get him now."
“That's not all you'll need. You will also need two different herbs. Sabletop and Dawndrop. Get two of each and bring them back here. "
"Where can I find them?"
“You can go to the far northwest of FlatFall and find them deep in a cave. A cave infested with trolls, rats and other creatures. It would be quite a journey to collect such a small amount of herbs. The best choice would be to give me a reasonable amount of gold. "
A slowly growing smile appeared on the mage's face as his hand passed in front of him. I looked at Douglas, then at the mage again. "How much gold are we talking about?"
“Six gold coins for each herb.”
I was not sure what the normal price for these herbs was. It was something I needed to research. I turned to Douglas. "Doesn't that seem a bit high?"
Before Douglas could respond, the mage answered. “Convenience always comes at a price. Do you prefer to travel to the cave? I could spot the place on your map if you want.
The truth was, I didn't want to go to the cave. The thought of entering a cave full of goblins and rats just didn't excite me at the time. My mind was only focused on beating Cosmo in the Colosseum. "If I pay this price, will it also include the cost of teaching me?" No hidden costs, right? "
"Very well," replied the mage. "I'll include that too."
"Fine. You can have your twenty-four gold pieces."
I took out the coins and gave them to the mage. I knew he was ripping me off, but I didn't care. I took the herbs and put them in my inventory. If he could show me how to enchant the shield, it was well worth it. "How much will the shield cost me?"
“There shouldn't be more than 25 gold pieces. The shield is quite common.
I opened my inventory to check and see how much gold I had left. Damn, I only have 71 pieces left? After I bought the shield, I would only have about 46 pieces. Well, I wanted to spend all I had on revenge. I shook hands with the mage. “Take the shield and bring it to me,” he said.
Douglas and I quickly left his home and headed for the Henderson store. We acted quickly because we knew we had limited time . The last thing I wanted was for the guards to come and get me before it was all over. Halfway through her shop, I got a new alert message:
“Hey, it's me Johnny. The big day has arrived man !!! We're here to get you out of it. Go to the entrance to FlatFall and follow the big wall to the far left. It's a pretty long road. But, here we are in the far left corner outside the wall. We chipped off a piece of the wall and created a small hole. It's almost big enough that you can crawl around. Turns out Sonny is really good with the pickaxe. So run over here now and crawl out of this hole. We have a big boat waiting for us. This is the perfect plan! When can you be here? Message me ASAP as we can't stay here before the worm. Really, you should send me a message now. Yes. Please convo me now.
Johnny.
I stopped walking. Thin. Everything seemed to be happening at the same time. Douglas looked at me. "What are you doing? We have to hurry before the guards come looking for us.
They were breaking a hole in the wall? It just seemed too basic to work. I wanted to tell Douglas what I had just read. But I didn't know if I could trust him for sure. What if there was some kind of rule here? Maybe if you knew someone was about to break out, you needed to report them? I did not know. It seemed risky to tell him. Were they really making a hole in the wall? Shit. I felt so confused. Why did they have to come at the exact time I was planning my revenge? What was I going to do? I wanted to fight Cosmo, but I also didn't want to miss an escape opportunity. They had come this far just to save me. I was surprised. Johnny was really keeping his word. In front of me, I could see a little anger rising inside Douglas. "What are we doing? Are we just going to stay here?
I shook my head. "Nothing. I just need to rest for a while.
Douglas ran in front of me. I looked from side to side and didn't know what to do. Shit. I needed the shield. After that I would meet John My and the others. I quickly ran and tried to catch up with Douglas. "I'm coming," I yelled.
We both ran until we got to Henderson's store. Douglas pushed open the door and I followed him inside. I ran over to the NPC and got straight to business. "I need Flatstone's shield."
Henderson reached under the counter and pulled out a cool brown shield. It was much bigger than I imagined and was shaped like a diamond. I examined it and realized that it was built with an mi x of bronze and wood. "How much does it cost?"
“It will be 23 gold pieces,” he replied.
"Alright
," I replied, pulling out my coins and giving them to him.
I took the shield and we quickly left his shop. Once outside, Douglas took off in front of me. “Wait,” I shouted.
He turned and looked irritated. “You really have to work on your endurance level,” he said.
"It's not that. I just need to think about it for a moment.
"Haven't you had enough time to think in our cell?" We have all day to think about it. Why have you waited until now? "
I did not answer. I looked behind us and could see the entrance to FlatFall. I had to meet them. If I could escape from this place, I would. It was weird because I was so caught up in the "world" of FlatFall. It almost seemed to me to belong here. But, I must have been brainwashed or something. Yes, I would meet them and would try to escape. My head was going up and down. It was final, I would find them and try to escape.
I looked at Douglas and noticed him picking up a small rock. Then he held the rock over his head. "What are you doing?" I asked.
"Speak less loudly. I can see it," he replied, looking up at the sky.
W ho did he see? I looked up to see what he was aiming for, but I didn't see a thing. Then he threw the stone in the air. "I got it," he cried excitedly.
At first I didn't know what was going on. But then there was a thud when something hit the ground in front of me. I bent over the small object. Damn, it was that ugly little pigeon. He was not moving and showing no signs of life. If it was official, Douglas had killed the talking pigeon. I leaned over and looked closely just to make sure. Yeah, that was him. His face had a big bump, but I could tell it was him anyway. Douglas leaned down and grabbed his lifeless body. Then he held it in front of his face. "Who's the loser now?" Huh? "
Douglas began to growl. He looked at me then pointed at the pigeon. "How is it that he doesn't speak anymore?" Did he finally run out of things to say?
After that, Douglas let out a long laugh and slammed the pigeon to the ground. "The victory is mine," he cried.
Thin. He was a happy little troll. "Did you see that?" Did you see the precision of this throw? he asked with a smile.
“It was pretty impressive,” I replied.
"I've waited a long time to kill this little bastard," Douglas replied. “Let's eat it tonight in our cell. His last hours will be spent in my womb. Isn't that awesome?
I could understand eating the pigeon for food, but it wasn't. Douglas wanted to eat the pigeon for other reasons. It seemed a bit too much to be honest. But I had seen how the pigeon had treated him. He really was a nasty little creature . Douglas leaned down and picked up the pigeon. "Thanks for the meal," he said, walking in front of me.
In the distance, I heard many people cheering and screaming. Douglas stopped walking and turned around. "What's going on over there ?" He asked.
I looked where the noise was coming from. There were many players jumping up and down. "He's probably the Grand Champion," I replied. "It always happens when he shows up."
"I don't think so," Douglas replied. "This is another thing."
Douglas walked towards me and didn't stop. I wanted to see what was going on, but I didn't have time. I needed to meet Johnny and the others. I hated leaving Douglas, but had no other choice. I looked at the wall and started to walk towards it. Douglas ran over to me and looked excited about something. “Let's look at this,” he said. "They caught players trying to knock down part of the wall."
My heart felt like it had stopped beating. "What? Where are they?
"There. They take them to the Emperor.
I ran towards the crowd and tried to locate the players Douglas was talking about. I knew who they were, but wanted to see them with my own eyes. In the middle of the crowd, I saw mr. It was Johnny, Todd and Sonny The Healer. I narrowed my eyes and noticed that Sonny even had his cage with him. Damn, I guess he got his poor pet back. They all walked as many guards followed them. Suddenly Johnny saw me. A smile came to his face as he jumped up and down waving at me. “They captured us,” he shouted. "Can you believe it?"
What was he smiling at? I waved at him and gave him an awkward smile. Todd and Sonny both looked at me, but they didn't seem so worried. I ran closer to them. But, one of the guards pushed me away. "Stay away," he ordered.
"Where are they taking you guys?" I asked with a cry to Johnny.
"We're going to meet the Emperor," Johnny shouted back.
"How do you know these people ?" Douglas asked behind me.
“They are my friends,” I replied. "Let us follow them."
Douglas and I followed them until they reached the entrance to the dungeon. We tried to enter the dungeon, but a guard blocked our way. “You can't come in here now,” he said.
"What will happen to them?"
“They will be stripped of their property and become prisoners. After that, they will fight in the Colosseum like the others.
Wow. I guess they were like me now. In a strange way, I wasn't really sad that I didn't escape. And in an even stranger way, I was actually happy that they were here with me. But, I almost felt guilty for having thought this thought. How could I be happy that they are also locked in the dungeon? I did not know. But I knew I could learn to live a happy life here. In fact, I knew we could all live happy lives here. If you could move forward in the Colosseum, you could live a life of fame and fortune. I had seen how the Grand Champion lived and I wanted to live like him.
I turned and looked at Douglas. “It was a crazy day. Is not it?
“It's one of the best days of my life,” he replied. “I finally got my revenge against this boring pigeon. I finally took his life. He will never visit our cell again. Those days are over.
"Let's get the shield back to the mage before we run out of time," I replied.
"What about your friends?"
"What can I do? I'll see them soon enough, I'm sure.
Dou glas fled in front of me and I quickly followed. As I was running I couldn't help but wonder how things got so crazy. I couldn't wait to talk to Johnny and see what happened. I wanted to hear all the details. At the same time, I was also eager to tell him about my fight with Cosmo. Thoughts kept going through my head as I blindly followed Douglas. Finally, we had arrived at the egg-shaped house. We went inside and I pulled out the shield. "I got it. Now what?"
The mage looked at me with both hands joined. "Excellent. Give me the herbs.
I opened my inventory and took out the Sabletop and Dawndrop. "There," I replied, handing him the herbs.
The mage left his house and we followed him . “I have a fireplace behind my house,” he says as he walks into his back yard.
In his back yard, there was a small fireplace. Soft flames flickered around a small slab of stone in the middle of the pit. The mage put the herbs on the small stone slab. Then he pulled out a worn book. He flipped through a few pages, looking for something. "You have to find the right symbol," he mumbled. “Next, you need to line up the herbs with the shape of this symbol.”
The mage began to tear up the herbs and place them on the stone slab. He continued to leaf through the book. “This is it,” he said, pointing to a picture.
"Let me see," I replied, grabbing the book.
I narrowed my eyes and examined the picture in the book. The herbs seemed to be crushed into a fine powder. But, the powder created a specific shape. It was the shape of a triangle surmounted by a circle. I looked at the mage. "So are we just doing this shape?"
"It's a simple enchantment," replied the mage, spreading the herbs in the stone. Slowly he began to create the same shape the book had shown. Then he threw some of the grass dust into the fire. Suddenly the flames got much bigger . "Rest your shield on the stone," yelled the mage. "Hurry."
I held my shield and leaned it on the stone. Slowly the shield began to heat up. Moments passed until the mage told me to take it off. Once I took it off I looked at it closely. "The doe doesn't look very different."
"Take a closer look," replied the mage.
I go
t closer to the shield and noticed that it was twinkling. "Oh yes. I see something. It's a bit bright, ”I replied.
The mage put his hands behind his back and began to walk away. “ It was very simple. But this is only a method of enchantment. It is a much weaker method than some of the more advanced techniques. "
We followed the mage inside his house. "So how do you use this shield?" Tell me exactly how it works. "