by D Wolfin
Once the mould is full of the molten metal, I swing a mid sized hammer down on it. With every swing of the hammer, the metal seems to become somewhat cooler and slowly starts to take the correct shape of a pickaxe head.
'Apparently, if you get your 'Smithing' skill above level 20, you can use a special tool to carve out your own moulds.' I lose myself in thought and don't even realize the fully formed pickaxe head in front of me.
With the head formed, a handle for it is required. Due to having a personal lack of the 'Wood Crafting' skill, I have Mason go and procure one from a broken branch on the ground.
"Interesting how we find wood now when there was nothing in the area not too long ago." Mason states while watching me finally put the pickaxe together.
"It is. And it looks like we will need to get more and make a few more pickaxes." I sigh while looking at the item window for the pick in front of me.
Fragile Iron Pick
A pick made by a complete amateur in smithing. The iron is flawed and the weight is completely off. An item of such low value was not known to exist until today.
Requirements:
- Level 1
- Str 14
- Dex 15
Weapon type: Tool
Attack: 3 - 5
Durability: 6/6
Weight. 4.2lbs
***************************************************
I spent the next four days going between digging and forging more pickaxes. As a result, not only did my 'Mining' reach level 14 and 'Smithing' level 9, but the tunnel finally passed the wall of Eltreant and entered the city perimeter.
"About time!" Mason cries out, nearly in tears. "We have been in this tunnel for the past three days... And I'm not talking about three days in the game!"
The tunnel took a grand total of eight days time in the game, just eight hours short of three full days outside the game.
"How was I supposed to know exactly how long it was going to take?!" I complain back at him.
"There was also the difficulty of getting through those tree roots under the wall and the, umm, multiple collapses in the tunnel were hard too." Matrix adds bashfully from the side.
Decided that no further words were needed, I start digging in an upward slope. Large chunks of dirt come off the wall with every swing. The speed in which I can now dig is incomparable to when I first started. As my forged pickaxes are now of an ordinary quality and my mining skill has increased a lot, I can dig at a much greater speed.
Another half a day passes of Mason's dark mood when I finally broke out to the surface. The roof of the tunnel slowly crumbles like sand and the interior of a reasonably large residence is revealed.
Every piece of furniture in the place is overturned and all the loose items have been thrown everywhere. The evening sun shines through a few windows around the room, the soft golden rays of light reflecting all the dust floating in the air. Outside the windows we can also see countless bandits all around, they are gambling in the street, climbing on top of some of the other residences while making fools of themselves, and others simply patrolling.
"Lucky, I was worried about coming out in the middle of a group of bandits." I breathed under my breath, but still loud enough that the others hear.
"Shouldn't you have told us that before?" Mason says in a cold tone.
"I didn't want you to worry." I speak in all honestly.
"The rest of us still could have waited a little further back..."
"But if we are all together there is a better chance of us all escaping. I don't want to be a sacrifice."
"Fine." Mason kneads his eyebrows in displeasure.
We all look around the room for anything valuable despite Shai'en's complaints. We may be here to help her, but we still are only doing it for ourselves in the end.
While avoiding the windows, we finding nothing but chipped and broken clay plates, bowls and utensils. We regroup in the center of the house, confused as to what to do next.
"Now what?" Matrix asks, looking away from me while talking, "We have to go outside. But, umm, those bandits must be everywhere."
"No, there are probably tens of thousands of them. While not being comparable to one of the three capitals, this is a big city. So far we have seen a few hundred bandits pass by just outside this window." I say while shaking my head.
"Well how should we do this? Are you going to scare them out? We need an army!" Mason utters coldly.
'Sheesh. This guy! Is he still in a foul mood?!' I complain in my head.
I fall deep in thought while the light in the room begins to fade. I run through every possible scenario in my mind and no matter what I think, it all ends in failure.
'Rush outside and go wild attacking every bandit. Ridiculous and doomed to fail.'
'Sneak out at night and kill a few at a time. Guerilla tactics are good and all, but we will be here for the next year if we do that. And that is given that we don't die during that time.'
'Go back to Grenton and recruit an army of players. We are full time gamers here, trying to make a living. We need to try get in front of the other players and can't be giving out our rewards to everyone else.'
'Or like Mason jokingly said, we could scare them out. Who am I kidding, that is simply ridiculous... Wait, now that I give it some thought. This may work.'
"Everyone, I have a plan. I will need to go back and gain twenty levels."
"And what is your plan this time?" Mason says with a frown.
"Do you really want to know?"
"... No. I really do not want to know..." He exhales depressingly.
"Well then, off I go."
"Hmph, don't think you're going by yourself!" Mason calls out as not only him but everyone else follow me back into the tunnel.
As soon as we exit the tunnel on the other end I lead the way to go searching for groups of bandits in the woods. I drift through the foggy moonlit forest like a white ghost. That's right, a ghost.
***************************************************
Four days in game passed by while I hunted bandits constantly. The only delays in levelling were looking for the next group of enemies or when the other party members would deal the killing strike.
As like when I left to power level, I return to the entrance of the cave in the middle of the night. A few owls break the silence of the night, hooting from high places in the pine trees.
"We're finally back." I emit quietly.
"I'm sorry," Shai'en chimes in a sad tone, "I could only locate the direction to the city, not the opening to the tunnel."
"Don't worry, nobody blames you." Mason gives her a gentle smile.
A lot happened over the past few days. It was only two days of hunting when I finally reached the extra twenty levels that I needed, while everyone else got nearly that as well. Mason also seemed to pass on from his grumpy mood after taking out some of his frustration on some bandits.
With the extra two days of hunting while searching for the tunnel, I gained a further fifteen levels. My stats also grew slightly, but no more than one or two points in any stat. I was focusing on my level after all.
Lost
lvl: 136
Health: 1481/1720
Stamina: 597/597
Mana: 1152/1152
Mason
lvl: 122
Health: 1608/1608
Stamina: 311/389
Matrix
lvl: 134
Health: 1590/1882
Stamina: 215/425
Mana: 378/446
-Companions-
Fen
lvl: 119
Health: 2312/2573
Magic: 689/798
Stamina: 418/750
Shai'en
lvl: 130
Health: 1266/1340
Magic: 389/881
"Everyone," I turn around before the entrance of the tunnel to speak to them. "From here on, I will mostly be acting on my own. It will be best for all of you if you could hide somewhere nearby a
nd watch each time I go in, just in case I need immediate backup."
"I don't understand," Mason addresses me in response, "What could you possibly be planning to do?"
"Something crazy," I laugh while turning around to go back into the tunnel.
At the other end of the tunnel it is still night time, so I don't waste any time and put my crazy plan into action immediately. Making sure there are no bandits in the vicinity, I quickly leave the building and enter one of the alleys. Everyone except for Shai'en leave shortly afterwards and stick to the shadows, tailing me in case I come into any trouble.
The elf has to stay at the house so she can send up the location beacon afterwards so we can find our way back to the right house before daybreak.
The clean, crisp air enters my lungs one deep breath after another. I dodge in and out among the dark alleys until I approach a night patrol of bandits.
I silently activate 'Multi Mirage', keeping the false images hidden from view in various alleys, except for one which appeared in front of the bandits.
"Geeet oout, Leeeave thiis tooown." I draw my words out and control the mirage to speak them.
"You can't possibly be serious!!" Mason shouts over the party chat.
"Who is this fool?! Hey guys, let's cut this joker down." Not one of the bandits seem even remotely frightened.
"Leeeave... Or dieee."
At the same time in the alley. I start to recall all the things in my life that have made me angry. I build up on those thoughts and relive them in my mind until I start to become furious myself. As soon as the murderous urges rise from my stomach, so does something else.
This is one of the two techniques I practised in the forest over the past few days. It is unfortunate that there is no words that can be used to release this, as the activation stemmed from emotions.
Not just my real body, but all of the clones as well, develop a blood red aura. The aura is only barely visible around the body, a slightly red hue throbbing in the air. This is the dragon's bloodlust I received as a side effect of Grael forcefully putting a small piece of his power into my body to keep track of me.
The small group of bandits suddenly stop in their foot steps, their faces instantly paling.
"H-hey, what's with this guy!?" One of them calls out, hesitating to move another step.
This is why I needed to level up. The dragon's bloodlust is only effective on enemies of a lower level than mine. In this scenario, the bandits are level 115.
My stamina depletes by one point every second while one of the bandits suddenly breaks off from the group and charges at the mirage. Screaming while driving his dagger down, my mirage dissipates into mist and vanishes, completely like a ghost.
I then allow another one of the 'ghosts' to charge out of the alley at that bandit. The mirage travels at my top speed, cutting through the air while leaving a large trail of bloodlust behind. The bandits go even paler as this mirage charges into the body of the bandit who simply had no time to react. Once again, the mirage disperses upon contact.
Not wasting any more time, I allow the rest of the mirages to disperse and charge out myself with the second technique I was practising over the past few days.
Crouching down, I take of at my top speed in an instant. I consciously control my afterimage to stay behind in the alley as I stop and reappear behind the bandit.
"Watch out! Behind you!" The other two bandits call out fearfully from about ten meters away.
Unfortunately, it was too late for this bandit. Two quick attacks to the back of the neck were critical attacks while I follow up by slipping the shortswords through the gap between the collarbone and the shoulders and into his torso. Four critical hits executed in the blink of an eye didn't even leave enough time for the bandit to react before he died.
"Leeeave." I say to the other two bandits who are far too frightened to even move.
It is quite a dilemma for the bandits. They can't run away because they are currently under my aggro, but they can't get any closer due the fear induced by the dragon's bloodlust.
Taking this my cue, I slowly turn around a stride off into one of the alleys. Immediately leaving the area with my speed, I return to our base home before day breaks out.
Despite Mason's objections to my plan that begin to arise, I continue this act for a full week in real life. I could approach and attack up to four of five groups of bandits every night in game.
"Jason, did you hear?" The rough voice of one of the bandits sounds from outside the residence. "That elven ghost struck again last night. My best friend Honley was killed!
"It is absolutely terrifying." Another voice replies, "They say whenever you strike it, it disappears before your very eyes. But when it strikes you, you die!"
"I can't stand it any more. I don't care about what the boss thinks. I am going to be leaving tonight with Kir and the others and never come back. I'm not waiting around to be picked off."
My plan is slowly succeeding. Each day more and more bandits flee the city in fear of being helplessly killed in the night. I honestly really cannot begin to fathom how many bandits had fled the city, but the numbers on the street halved.
The only concern our group raised was that when the bandits fled, they often took an elf slave or two with them. Seeing elves in collars and chain being led away from their home caused Shai'en to turn silent. Matrix, at one point, turned around to try and console her, but she only replied with silence.
A few days after that though the rate at which the bandits fled and the elves were dragged around slowed down, eventually coming to a grinding halt with 25 percent of the bandits left.
"You know, we may be able to kill them all by now" Mason says, his voice brimming with confidence.
"I wouldn't rush it. If there was forty thousand to begin with, then there are still ten thousand remaining. Are you still confident in being able to fight that many?"
"...No, I guess not."
"Well then, what we need to do is find out how to get rid of the remaining quarter. We have all heard their conversations and they are dead scared. They practically soil their pants the moment they see me at night. What is keeping them here."
"It's their boss." Matrix joins the conversation. "I mean, umm, I remember hearing the conversation between two bandits the other week about how he didn't care what the boss thought, he was leaving regardless. Umm, I think their boss also has them fearing him."
"True, you have a fair point there. And where would we find him then?"
"In the castle. Where else would we find the final boss but in the biggest and most extravagant house around."
"You have a fair point. Well, everyone, gear up. We will leave at sundown."
It is only a quarter moon tonight, meaning there is a lot less light than usual. It is almost like we were destined to sneak through the city tonight and infiltrate the castle at the center of Eltreant.
We stay away from the rooftops. While being quicker and the more popular infiltration method in the movies, not only would it reveal our silhouette to anyone looking in our direction but it is also practically impossible with the roofs being constructed by some kind of natural foliage.
More than half the night goes by and we finally arrive at the entrance to the massive structure in the center of the city. The castle, unlike every other building in the city, is made out of stone bricks. The entire building also has an excessive amount of vines growing all over it.
'I wonder exactly how long this has been here?' I think while staring in utter shock and admiration at it.
"I'm surprised at the lack of guards." Mason says over the party chat.
"It is certainly interesting."
As we walk in the building and pass through the entire courtyard, not a single bandit appears in front of me. I begin to doubt whether or not this is the passage to the final boss as there are no bandits leading up to it.
I hear some low sobs of children and gently hushes of mothers coming from inside one of the rooms. Creepi
ng as close as I can, I wait until the final moment before swinging the door open and jumping into the dimly lit room at maximum speed.
I grind my feet to a halt as I realize that there are no enemies here. The only others here are the elvish citizens who couldn't flee and have been thrown in cages and placed against this wall. However, there are only a few hundred elves here, meaning that there are a lot more elves locked up in this place.
"Please wait for a while." I speak to the petrified people. "I must save this city first, otherwise you will only be recaptured if not killed. Do you understand?"
A few of them nod while the others remain silent with eyes devoid of all life.
"I-it's s-so sad." Shai'en looked down at the prisoners while sobbing, "I had only heard rumours. That t-there was a place where the rebellious elves a-are locked up until they b-break."
This may be a game, but this sad sight is incredibly hard to not look away from. The once graceful people are now covered in dirt, blood, and even some gruesome mutilations that could unsettle the hardest of stomachs.
'Of course, they can only do something like this in an 18+ game.' I think to myself as I turn around and signal everyone to leave. Walking past Shai'en, I place one hand on top of her downcast head and whisper for her to hold on. Everything will turn around in the end.
We walk through the desolate castle, moans and cries occasionally seeping out of tightly shut rooms. The only one of us who seem to be unaffected by the miasma of depression this castle holds is Fen. The wolf girl simply strolls next to me without a care in the world. Sometimes, I wonder about her.
On what must have been the fifth floor, we finally arrive at a ten meter tall set of double doors with golden inlay, threading around and leading to leaf shaped emerald slivers imprinted onto the door. Behind these doors, is surely the throne room along side the final boss of this legendary quest.
Striding out in front of the rest of the party, I place one hand on each door and shove forward with all my strength. The massive doors slowly began to creak and open an inch at a time.
Inside, the throne room is well lit. With torches along every wall there isn't so much as a shadow inside. Seated on the throne at the far end of the room, an old man far past the age of retirement has his head hanging down in a deep slumber.