by G. Akella
"You've lost, demon."
The monster's voice dripped with wicked triumph.
"Come on, then!"
I blocked another Spear of Darkness, turning my blade sideways.
As the boss drew to within fifteen feet, his body suddenly jerked as a ray of gray light pierced out from inside his chest. Then a second, and then a third—the hole in his armor expanding before our very eyes.
"Nooooo!" The dying rage of the last companion of the Twice Cursed God filled the hall, mingled with shock. A moment later, a terrifying shrouded skeleton burst out of him, accompanied by a dull, hollow thud, and Teiran's body flew apart into a thousand rotten pieces.
You've earned a unique achievement, Teiran's Slayer. Teiran is a unique boss that can only be killed once. You and your allies have been granted a permanent 7% increase to your physical and magic damage.
You've completed the quest: Defending the Great City II.
You have gained a level! Current level: 260.
You have gained a level!
...
You have gained a level! Current level: 268.
You have 10 talent points to allocate.
Class bonus: +1 to intellect; +1 to spirit.
You have 30 stat points to allocate.
Attention! You have garnered the attention of a higher being. Myrt, the God of Wisdom and Battle Valor, is friendly to you.
You received a single-use ability: Myrt's Blessing. You can increase two of your base stats by 10% each.
Attention! You have garnered the attention of a higher being. Liana, the Goddess of Artistry, is friendly to you.
You received a single-use ability: Inner Harmony. You can choose one additional profession. Each of your professions is further increased by 10%.
Attention! You have garnered the attention of a higher being. Celphata, the Goddess of Death and Rebirth, is friendly to you.
You received a single-use ability: Celphata's Blessing. From now on, all inhabitants of the Gray Frontier who serve Celphata are neutral towards you.
Your reputation has increased. Light elves relate to you with respect.
Your reputation has increased. The human race relates to you with respect.
Your reputation has increased. Drow relate to you with respect.
Your reputation has increased. Dwarves relate to you with respect.
Your reputation has increased. Orcs relate to you with respect.
See, swimming is good for you! Jaelitte smirked. If you hadn't stepped into the Greenwater like that, you'd be lying dead along with everyone else. Listening to your wife is good for you, too, by the way.
Thanks for the advice...
Anytime, she laughed. And don't forget to grab the soulstone from that bastard!
I won't.
I looked at all the things scattered around us, some of them highlighted a dark bronze color. With a sigh, I shifted my gaze to Hel. The goddess' companion wasn't looking so good. Her shroud was torn, and her half-decayed skull wore an eerie grin covered by scraps of shriveled skin. I didn't know what this companion of the Goddess of Death used to look like, but today I doubted she could claim any beauty contest prize. If only from a local Walmart. The phantom floated just above the floor for a time, then slowly flew over towards the sarcophagus on the steps. Once Hel reached the tomb of the Forgotten God, she fell upon it and disappeared. I shrugged, hardly surprised. Ignoring the clinking gold pieces and crunching bones under my boots, I approached Reece and Vaessa, who were sitting on the stone floor. George and Lola were also sitting, quite the look of contentment on their faces. The dragons were linked to Vaessa; when I protected her, had I protected them, too? Or perhaps diseases meant for sentients had no effect on them. At any rate... On the way over to them, I stooped over the corpse of Urgam, and looted Jaelitte's soulstone from it. All of the other loot would be divvied up later, but I was the only one who could see and collect this stone.
"Is everything okay?" I quietly asked my seated clanmates.
"Sure," Reece allowed. "But auntie here going from happiness to madness so quickly... She scares me."
"Bastard," Vaessa punched the mage in his side, and smiled up at me.
"You're bleeding." I handed her a handkerchief and was about to sit next to them when a dry cracking sound reached my ears. The lid of the sarcophagus flew off, and a comely woman leaped out of it.
Attention! The curse has been lifted from the Tomb of Arkam!
Not sure I want to know what that corpse in there looks like now. I wonder if...
Celphata's companion flew up to interrupt my thoughts, and gently held my cheek in her palm. As I looked into the face of death, I felt a grave cold, but the discomfort disappeared immediately.
Your reputation has increased. Hel relates to you with respect.
You've completed the quest: Companion of the Goddess of Death.
You have gained a level! Current level: 269.
You have gained a level! Current level: 270.
You have 12 talent points to allocate.
Class bonus: +1 to intellect; +1 to spirit.
You have 36 stat points to allocate.
You received a single-use ability: Hel's Gift. If you die, you may elect to return to life in the place of your death within thirty seconds.
Hel repeated the same ritual with Vaessa and Reece, and then dissolved into nothingness a moment later.
"Two more runes... Now I know how nineteen of them work, out of forty total."
Vaessa wiped away the blood running from her nose and, out of habit, put my handkerchief into her own pocket.
"You know, Dark One," she said in deep thought, "I'm starting to believe we will reach the end of this long journey one day."
I looked around, smiled, and nodded at the woman sitting on the stone slabs.
"Of course we will. Unlike you, I've always believed that."
Chapter 19
"Well? What are you waiting for?" Max tore his eyes from the portal behind which Teetotaler's soldiers had just disappeared, and gave everyone around a questioning look.
Helliona shrugged. "We're with you. Waiting for you to finish planting those trees. Then, we'll see what happens."
"But we said that—"
"Not we. You," Alyona interrupted with a pat on his shoulder. "And when you said that, Roman was still in charge. Now you're back in command, but we still have to follow Roman's old orders, right?"
"Of course," Tasha said with a beguiling smile. "it's your decision, of course."
Max shook his head. "Here we go again..."
"What? I am but a damsel, and always do just what my husband says," with a mischievously innocent grin, Tasha took Luffy's arm.
The mage snorted. "You keep saying that, and maybe I'll start to believe you." He looked at his friend. "Look, what are we going to do without you? We've been together too long now to start splitting up. Heck, I even miss Bonbon, not to mention all the others."
"Don't you need to go see Irwine? Or do you expect me to claim your land for you?"
"Land? What do we need land for?" Rexar shrugged. "You want to grow radishes or something? Or start building a castle one log at a time? We'll go together, as always. You on that white steed of yours that Bonbon had told us about, and us carrying your royal mantle."
"There's no sense bothering acquiring land as long as the Ancients threaten to invade," Alex broke in. "After we're done rebuffing the invasion, we can talk about settling down somewhere. In the meantime, this place will do just fine." He cast a look around the meadow, the trees, and the elves moving about a hundred yards away. "Besides, I've never been to the Grove of Peace, and I doubt they'll let us in without you, Max.
"Mutiny it is, then." Max smiled at his comrades. "Fine, we'll go together, since you're all so insistent."
"We're the good guys here, Max," Ellanca added. "Do you think Kirana is there already?"
"I know she is." With that, Max stepped towards the guards.
The Grove of Peace,
also called the Silver Grove, was a small plot of about sixty square miles situated on the border of the light and dark elven lands, a tiny dot amidst the vast green ocean of the continent. After the mallorn trees had vanished, it was renamed the Grove of Peace—in memory of the mallorns, the elves banned any and all violence on the grove's territory. Kings and high princes sometimes conducted negotiations here, and in this place deception was forbidden. Treaties signed in the Grove of Peace were considered inviolable. Now, whether it would be the Silver Grove again was up to Max.
He hadn't even considered what he would do here, when and how he would plant the trees. What good was planning when a level 500 quest was in your journal? He had spent all night trying to find some clue in the chronicles, some lead on how to plant the trees. Nothing. He had no idea. But he never doubted for a second that he would plant them. It was the only way forward.
He could create portals much more frequently now, so on the morning he had bid farewell to Roman, he immediately opened a portal to the Grove of Peace. The warrior was not about to delay this quest. He would settle everything here and now—resting and planning could wait.
Great Forest. Grove of Peace. Zone level: none.
Two dark elves in green armor ornamented in brown placed their right hands on their left shoulders and bowed deeply. Max greeted them and circled around a huge arbor filled with plants, then headed down a narrow path towards a patch of dense young undergrowth.
"Look at these mushrooms!" Ellanca exclaimed from behind.
"Ryhna, do you really think it befits elven noblewomen to prance through the woods with baskets picking mushrooms?" Luffy suggested.
"Oh, shut up," the girl grinned. "I find mushrooms, I pick them. Here, I'll give some to Max... Wait, what's that mist?"
The undergrowth came to an end, and the group emerged onto a wide lawn of grass covered with a milky white veil. Max knew that this was where he had to go. This was the natural defense created by the Great Forest. It had covered the lands of the fifteenth High House, and here it covered the place where the mallorn trees once grew. The warrior did not know why, but perhaps Kirana would have some idea. She was frozen still three hundred feet away from the mist, a solitary figure amidst the haze. She had no companions with her, but in this place, why would she?
He smiled back at the others. "Go pick your mushrooms. I'm heading that way. Just no fires, all right?"
Tasha winked at her husband. "Don't worry, I won't let him wreck the forest."
"Me?" Luffy protested. He squeezed Max's arm, suddenly serious. "Good luck, brother."
Max said his farewells to each of them, and kissed the uncharacteristically solemn Alyona on the cheek. She called out to him just as he was about to go forward to meet the goddess.
"Wait!" Alyona caught up with Max, threw her arms about his neck, and rested her head on his chest, whispering: "You will remain there for a long time, I know it. It won't be easy, but you will triumph. Be careful, and never forget that I wait for your return."
Then she pulled away and returned to the others, without looking back. For a few smiling moments, Max watched the tip of her tail sway from side to side as she walked back. With a sigh made as much from joy as sadness, he walked towards the waiting goddess.
Kirana greeted him quietly, without turning her head. "You've come."
"Yes. I see no point in delaying," Max replied. "What must I do? How do I plant them?"
"I do not know," she said with the same volume. "Only you can determine that. I do not know what sort of sacrifice the Father will require for what we have done. But I do know that the mallorns should grow without delay. If they do not, you have done something wrong."
"All right. Here I go."
"Wait." Kirana grabbed his hand and slowly raised her eyes to meet his. "All of those with power will gather here soon. We shall wait. We cannot stop the Ancients' invasion without the mallorns. Once the Grove is planted, the Guardian will declare his will, and the will of the Guardian is sacred, even to the gods. Ponder that."
Max nodded and moved towards the wall of mist.
He heard her farewell float towards him in the still air. "Good luck, Gray One."
The shroud parted. Max stepped through it and found himself in a huge field covered with gray creeping moss. No grass, no tree, no green thing within sight. Only moss and boulders jutting out of the earth. Decay and desolation, as there had been near the ruined sanctuary of Kirana. Only the disavowed had nothing to do with this destruction—this had been Max's own people... And what could be worse than civil war? He doubted that even over thousands of years the disavowed could have inflicted as much harm on the elves as they had done to themselves. Fifty feet to his right, a thin stream ran forth from a cracked, angular rock, its silently quivering water forming a small natural reservoir. It was a tiny oasis amid the ruin. Max approached the pool and winked at his reflection, rinsed his face, and rose to consider again the field of death.
"Here, we will set things right," he said quietly. "But first, there is something important to be done."
Thirty paces from the stream, Max pulled a shovel from his inventory, cleared the moss from a small area, and dug a deep grave. Carefully, he laid the bones of an elf and his pet in the grave. It was the two of them who had made this possible, this revival of the mallorn trees. After filling the hole with earth, he lit his pipe and smoked for a few minutes, considering in silence the small mound, the lone piece of pure black dirt amidst the gray moss that lorded over this land. Roman had told Max that the ryhn wanted his remains returned to his wife, but Max had decided to bury him here, instead. No one in this world deserved a grave in the Silver Grove like this elf who had perished two and a half thousand years ago, along with his pet weasel. He would find his wife and children later and tell them the truth. Ryhn Falanir had been a shapeshifter, but the mallorns were a blessing for all living things, and shapeshifters were still elves, no matter what anyone else thought of them.
"Este et ilu talyon,"[1] Max said softly. He returned his pipe to its place and took a deep swig from his canteen.
A ridiculous thought struck him. He did not know how the elves commemorated their ancestors. So he did what he thought he should. That was what mattered, right? Why did it matter how he was commemorated, as long as he was.
As he walked through the field, he discovered small, regular depressions in the earth, about five hundred feet apart. Each was three feet deep and could still be seen despite being covered by a layer of moss. This must be the Great Forest telling its Guardian exactly where to plant the trees. Now, if only it could offer a clue... Perhaps he was wasting his time worrying like this. Perhaps the quest's level and rank were so high not because of its difficulty, but because of its extreme importance. He would see. Max returned to the stream, filled a bucket with water, and headed for the hole nearest to the grave. Clearing the place of moss, he lowered one of the seeds down into the hollow, covered it with earth, and watered it well. "Come on. Grow!" he commanded softly as he shook the dirt from his hands and retreated a short distance. He waited. Minutes passed, but nothing happened, and all sorts of thoughts began to creep into his head. What if these holes were for some other purpose? What if the seeds were dead after all this time? What if the water in the creek was poisoned? No, if there was something wrong with the seeds, that message would not have gone out to the world. But what about the water? He picked up the bucket and took a few big sips. It was ordinary water. Cold, delicious, and no debuffs. So what was wrong? Max cleared the moss from a bigger area, thirty feet around the hole in all directions. Nothing. The mallorn wasn't growing, and Kirana had said it would grow immediately. Maybe she had been wrong? No, the goddess would not have said that without being absolutely sure. Then there was talk of sacrifice—but what did he have to give? All he had was the items in his inventory, and they hardly mattered here. Max glanced at the grave of the elf who had given his life for these seeds. He smiled. Everyone had that to give. He threw off his armor, rolled
up his right sleeve, and sliced opened a vein with his dagger. Clenching his fist tightly, Max raised his hand over the planted seed and silently watched the heavy dark red drops fall into the loosened earth. He had no confidence this would work, but there were no other options. If he had to die, he would die, but these trees would grow. They said that in the past you could not kill yourself in this way in the game, but the world had changed, and now he could. His HP bar shuddered and slowly began to decrease. Death is nothing. All that matters is enduring the pain, he thought as he watched the ground soak up his blood. Then came the pain. At first, it was just a tingling in the wrist, then it grew into a strong pulling feeling. When his life had fallen to less than half, he felt like someone was tearing at his arm with his teeth. And yet, still no mallorn. Max closed his eyes and tried to think pleasant thoughts.
Your Toughness skill has increased to 25%.
The pain was ever growing, and he found himself unable to think. Damn it all! He clenched his teeth to keep himself from screaming when the system applied what must have been an invisible circular saw to his wrist. An eternity seemed to pass by the time that crimson haze at last flashed before his eyes. Vague images flashed through his head, and then the pain suddenly evaporated. His body lost all feeling, and his consciousness soared above the forest. For a brief moment, he saw himself, leaning over the planted seed amidst an endless sea of ashen black. Then, a star blinded him, and the world collapsed into utter darkness.
Attention! Your character's death has resulted in the loss of 20% of your levels. Your current level is 184.
Attention! Your character's death has resulted in the loss of 138 stat points. Your current stats are distributed as follows: Agility—200, Strength—218, Constitution—217, Intellect—20, Spirit—20, Vigor—200.