by Nikita Thorn
It turned out that only the few who managed to defeat their Fear Manifest without assistance from the White Dragon received the [Demonsbane] path. The third phase had caught everyone off-guard, and many had not realized in advance that their potions did not work.
Mairin claimed she did not even try. “There was no way I was going to go anywhere near a giant rotten pile of headless walking flesh with red demon eyes all over its belly, so I kited it around until the White Dragon got bored and came down to mop it up. You guys should have seen the dragon blast it into a million pieces with his lightning claw.”
Not engaging the Fear Manifest, however, gave Mairin the [Evader] Path Element, which was apparently awarded to those who took absolutely no damage at all until the timer ran out and the White Dragon ended the encounter. The kitsune seemed rather pleased with it, as it gave her extra stealth in all activities.
Kentaro got a [Pacifist] Path Element from trying solely to use the houshi perk Pacify on his Fear Manifest. He also received a [Tailor] Path Element, which Ippei guessed was from having already reached maximum level in the Trade Skill.
The houshi reported that [Tailor] and [Pacifist] combined resulted in ‘Benevolent Tailor’, which gave extra drop chance of cloth items and materials from monsters he managed to Pacify, while [Shinshioka Patriot] and [Tailor] together resulted in ‘Army Clothmaster’, which reduced materials required to fix cloth items in the various official Shinshioka armor sets.
The Path Elements seemed to be plentiful, with one for each avenue of play, and Seiki carefully considered the implication. “So with three Elements, you can make six different Paths. With more, say, five, you get… twenty. With ten…” His eyes widened. “Ninety!”
Ipppei nodded. “This is gonna be a massive time sink. You see, they don’t even lock you into a Path, so every time you get a new Element, you’ll be spending hours looking through all the possible new combinations and trying out the starter quest. And since you rank up the combos, there will be an incredible amount of content to waste your life on.”
“Which is a… good thing?” said Mairin.
Ippei chuckled. “Probably, but I’ll reserve my final judgment until I see what’s possible with War stuff.”
Mairin giggled. “Maybe they’re trying to keep Precious Lord Zengoro busy, since he’s probably run out of stuff to do.”
“Yeah, about that,” Seiki began. “Remind me to tell you something later about his… uh, personal assistant.”
Their group members continued to phase back into the shrine, having finished the encounter with their Fear Manifests. The last one was the Honor Warriors houshi, who said she had to fight demonic blood slugs that kept splitting into smaller ones and she had to resort to bashing them one by one with the end of her staff. Surprisingly, that unlocked the [Bojutsu] Path Element, which gave her extra damage when she hit someone with a staff.
Once all nineteen members were all accounted for, the air crackled and the White Dragon faded back in over the shrine, suddenly descending toward the group like a meteor that had escaped detection until too close. Its landing sent a strong tremor through the stone tiles of the courtyard, effectively stunning everyone into silence.
Night of the White Dragon [Stage I Completion]: By completing the White Dragon’s challenge, every member of your group has been rewarded a Festival Cache.
The excited hum from the crowd rose into cheers as silver balls of light appeared in front of everyone. Touching it automatically transformed the light into an armful of items, which many instantly dropped out of surprise, filling the courtyard with the sounds of metal equipment hitting the ground.
Seiki set his load of items down in front of him.
You have received: Festival Token [x25]
You have received: Blessed Scale of the White Dragon [x3] Breaking the scale instantly restores all allies within 50 feet to full health and removes all harmful effects.
You have received: Breath of the White Dragon Breaking the pearl over a piece of gear permanently increases its highest stat by 15.
You have received: Ryunari Chest Guard. +55 defense +3% maximum health. Main Armor Slot. Effect: Infused with the radiance of the White Dragon, the chest guard automatically clears all demonic bleed effects from the wearer after 3 seconds.
The chest guard was made of links of what looked like white dragon scales, light, yet sturdy. If he could modify it appearance to match the rest of his Shinshioka set, this would be a decent upgrade. He glanced over to Ippei and found his friend looking in surprise at a pair of very white boots, which had very decent speed stats for its level.
“Obi!” said Mairin. “Another obi. Why do they keep giving me obi? Ooh, but it’s actually pretty.”
That, however, was not all. More notifications followed even before they could start putting away the items.
Night of the White Dragon [Stage II Completion]: By valiantly defending Shinshioka from the Demonic Clan’s attack, you may choose to make a symbolic offering by presenting a single item to the White Dragon to influence the type of reward you will receive. An offering can be presented either by an individual or by a group.
Presenting a currency item is guaranteed to reward a significant amount of the same or related currency, with larger numbers of group members resulting in larger amounts.
Presenting equipment rewards a single piece of equipment, regardless of the number of group members, but more members will result in a significantly higher quality of the particular piece of equipment. Presenting named or scalable equipment rewards an upgraded version of the particular piece of equipment.
Presenting ingredients rewards more of the same ingredients with a high chance of them being of higher quality.
Many other types of items may be presented and will result in related rewards.
You may leave the current group to make an individual offering or form new subgroups with members from the current group to make a group offering.
If no offering is presented by the end of the event, you will receive a significant amount of Festival Tokens.
To help with access, your primary bag has been temporarily connected to your full storage.
This was the promised opportunity to select their own preferred rewards that had been talked about the whole Festival Week, and the group buzzed with even more excitement, especially since no one had expected the range of possibility.
“Hey, can I just offer this brand new White Dragon item for an instant upgrade?” someone asked. Several people immediately agreed, jumping on the idea of double upgrades in one night.
Seiki studied the instructions. “It’s basically a lot of currency or one major upgrade.”
Kentaro nodded. “Or, a chance to get really nice rare ingredients.”
“Group together for a currency rewards, or do your individual thing for an upgrade,” explained Ippei, for the benefit of those who were overwhelmed by the detailed instructions. “Or if you’re feeling particularly charitable, group with your friends to give them a better upgrade.”
“Who would do that anyway?” said Yamura.
“A serious war clan would. It’s totally worth it to overgear your war healer, considering how rare they are.” Ippei glanced at Kentaro at that, but the houshi seemed lost in thought and did not appear to have heard him.
As the Honor Warriors started to discuss what to do, Seiki went over the notification a few more times to make sure he understood what it meant. It was as Ippei had concluded, with clear descriptions on what to expect for options of currency or equipment. Other types of items were also valid choices, but what would come of them sounded rather vague.
“Related rewards,” Seiki read aloud. “It means-”
His breath caught as an idea occurred to him. As inconspicuously as possible, he retrieved the Shadow Key from his pocket, wondering if this was included in the ‘many other types of items’ and what its promised ‘related rewards’ would be.
Seiki
looked toward Ippei. The samurai had already taken notice of his intention, and was staring at the half-concealed item in his hand.
Seiki met his eyes. “There’s no restriction against presenting this, right?”
CHAPTER FORTY
It took another ten minutes for Ippei to finish his last duty as raid leader: thanking everyone for their contribution and explaining to those who were still confused about how the rewarding system worked. Apart from Yamura, the rest of the Honor Warriors soon left the group, with many choosing to go with an upgrade for their named or scalable gear. The rest eventually decided on War Tokens, which Ippei had argued in favor of when they asked for his opinion on the matter. The samurai’s line of reasoning was that it was the most time-consuming currency to get, with a soft cap on how many you could get in a certain period of time, and could not be traded between players.
“To be honest, normal upgrades aren’t really worth it at our level, since you’ll outgrow it in a few weeks,” said Ippei once they were alone again in the front courtyard of the Mani Shrine. “But special gear is worth considering, especially if you’re planning to stick with it long-term.”
Going by that logic, Seiki’s Crimson Tekko would make a good upgrade candidate. It was scalable and already had one expensive Enchantment applied to it. Considering how deeply Seiki had integrated the shield effect into his playstyle, it was very unlikely he would ever switch it out, and the thought of potentially getting extra stats onto the piece almost made him regret coming up with the idea to offer the Shadow Key.
Hearing the same advice, Yamura also decided on having his Firerat Fur Armguard as a backup offering, despite not having worn it all week since it no longer matched his new Jade Bow that had just dropped for him.
Ippei’s backup choice was the Shichifukujin Seal, which he was hoping to get more of in order to complete the set of seven. Mairin decided to go with a very curious [Toy] she had earlier received from her Banquet Tower reward, which was a mystery gift box that would produce either one Favor piece, one random ingredient, or one useless piece of junk every seventy-two hours.
Kentaro came up with the intriguing idea of trying to offer the Red Headband Master Pattern, and left the group to do so, but it turned out that the item was rejected by the White Dragon as being an incomplete crafted item. Eventually he decided on a set of very rare ink.
“That was a good idea though,” said Yamura. “Imagine asking the dragon for an Insignia and getting it.”
“Does anyone kinda wish that the dragon would reject the Shadow Key so we can go with our backups?” asked Kentaro wistfully.
“Me,” Seiki admitted.
“Me too, to be honest.” Ippei laughed.
“No, we’ve got to do it,” said Mairin. “If the cult is willing to murder people for the Shadow Key, it must be very important.”
Judging from how the dragon had refused to accept the Red Headband Master Pattern, they hoped that even if the Shadow Key was rejected, the error message would still give them further hints regarding the nature of the item. There was a difference between the White Dragon not recognizing it, outright refusing it, or saying it was an incomplete crafted item.
“Maybe he’ll give us another Shadow Key,” said Mairin. “And we’ll be the first to have two.”
“Well, if I were the Society, I’d offer mine,” said Kentaro.
“If I were Rogami, I’d offer mine, too,” said Mairin.
“If I were Rogami, I’d offer the unique whip,” said Seiki.
“Damn, the market’s gonna so be flooded,” said Yamura.
Seiki laughed. “It might not even work.”
There was only one way to find out. Despite telling himself that the chance was slim, Seiki still felt his heart quickening as he retrieved the item from his pocket. The cool, glass-like surface of the black Shadow Key was smooth in his hand, and it greeted him with the usual sensation of mild Fear. Being so used to it, however, he scarcely noticed.
Looking at the unassuming appearance of the mysterious item, it was difficult to believe this was what the masked players were after, with the implication that it was prized more than any of the East Gate Territories out in the Wilderness. Now that he knew Hanna of the Rogami was involved in some way, the fact that the Rogami Clan also possessed one of these Shadow Keys was most likely not a coincidence.
The White Dragon was still regarding them silently, like a gigantic sculpture in an ice festival, brightly lit against the gentle shadows within Mani Shrine.
Seiki took a step forward and held out the Shadow Key. “We’d like to make an offering.”
The White Dragon’s onyx eyes shifted toward the item in his hand. For a while, nothing happened. The dragon seemed to freeze, the only movement being its gleaming whiskers bobbing slightly in the air.
Its gaze finally returned to Seiki.
There are no tangible rewards I can give for this item.
“We seek only knowledge.”
Do you also speak for all who are present here?
“I do.”
The White Dragon paused for a long moment. Seiki held his breath and waited. His friends behind him were silent with apprehension.
The mystical serpent slowly stretched out its front leg and laid five sharp silver claws on the ground to reveal an open palm.
Come.
Seiki’s heart skipped a beat. The gesture could not be mistaken for anything but an invitation. The offering had been accepted. He wanted to turn to look at his friends, but found it impossible to break away from the White Dragon’s penetrating gaze. Enchanted, he walked forward, slightly lightheaded as the beast’s unworldly aura intensified. The effect was almost tangible on his skin, a tingling, dry metallic cold that was not unpleasant. Seiki carefully stepped onto the dragon’s palm, feeling hard, firm scales under his feet.
Without warning, five gigantic silver talons closed around him. Seiki suppressed a cry as the dragon shot up into the air, pulling him upward into the cloudless night.
Tightly secured in the dragon’s grasp, with his left arm trapped next to his body, right arm resting on top of one of the dragon’s claw, and his feet dangling in the cold breeze, Seiki felt both a sense of absolute safety and extreme precariousness at the same time. His heart still racing wildly from the initial scare, he craned his neck to look down, squinting to protect his eyes from the strong high winds.
Beneath him, Shinshioka was a sprawling network of lanterns, with Trade Street running through the middle of it like a river of light. Everything else branched off from this glowing central vein, some neighborhoods more brightly lit than others, all overlooked by the rather foreboding Palace buildings in North City. The dragon was already heading west, and all Seiki could see of Mani Shrine was its green-roofed pagoda quickly disappearing out of sight.
Seiki was still holding the Shadow Key. His position made it impossible to put it back in his inventory for safekeeping, so he simply clasped it tight in his hand. To his surprise, the presence of the dragon seemed to suppress the Fear effect coming from the item, and all he could feel was the pleasant smooth jade-like texture of its surface.
Refreshing crisp, cold air filled his lungs after he finally remembered to breathe again, waking all his senses and heightening his perception. The altitude was exhilarating. His eyes traced Trade Street until it ended at a small glowing rectangle, the famous West Gate, door to the canvas of dark woodland of the West Plains beyond the city boundaries.
Once outside the city wall, the dragon started to slow down and eventually settled into a gentle bobbing rhythm. Seiki looked over his shoulder to watch, with much fascination, its massive tail waving up and down in the air like a giant silver fan.
They continued to travel further north, passing clusters of small villages that served as locations for some of the weekly Military Missions, which now appeared as little dots of light in the surrounding dark landmass. Muraki Fort soon came into view in the form of an illuminat
ed square on a small hill, whose wall torches flickered furiously from the wind of the passing dragon. The faint voices from surprised NPC soldiers cried out after them as the excited inhabitants rushed out to spot Shinshioka’s guardian deity.
The areas north of the fort were beyond the scope of Seiki’s direct experience, but Ippei had pointed out to him the rough locations of War Instances, and Seiki had a general idea where he was. To his left was an expanse of flatland that gave West Plains its name, separated by narrow strips of thick forests. Further to the west was the majestic mountain range that separated lower War Instances from higher ones, with Amato Pass sitting between them. Below, he guessed, was the long, mostly unlit path that connected more quest villages to other War Instances to the north. At one point, Seiki caught a glimpse of the dragon’s reflection flashing across a tiny lake he never knew existed.
Seiki let his senses take in the experience. At the back of his mind, he suspected the borderless vastness of the world around him was an illusion, but it was difficult to pay the thought much attention. More forests and plains passed below them, uneven terrain mostly hidden in the peaceful shade of the night. Seiki would have been content to let the ride go on forever.
The dragon finally spoke. With Seiki being directly in its grip, the thundering voice was much closer, and less foreign, as if it was a part of his own consciousness.
Knowledge is an endless and ever-expanding tapestry that is beyond the complete grasp of a mortal mind. In your and your four companions’ quest for it, I can only reveal to you individual elements that are mere glimpses of its entirety. Since there are five of you, I will give you five glimpses to aid your search.
First, a name for something that is nameless.
Seiki’s eyes widened, as he instantly knew what it meant. Opening his palm, he stared at the top of the Shadow Key. For a very brief moment, something like a ghost label flickered: Yamikai Key – Ne [unique].
Seiki jumped as if he had been struck by lightning. The item had a label, and it was unique. The information had most likely always been there, but was just hidden from players, like how unlabeled quests were only confirmed after completion. The label was gone as soon as it had appeared, returning the item to a piece of black glass.