Once more, the rules of the game were bent like cheap plastic. Instead of the interactive focus shifting back to me, it pulled out to both Kayla and me simultaneously. I recovered almost immediately. It was obvious that this wasn’t something to be answered by one of us. We had to be in this together, do or die, all or nothing.
I looked over at her to find those big blue eyes looking right back at me. I know I was anxious, still a little unsure about what I was getting into, and it was actually a relief to see that I wasn’t alone. The worry that was plain in Kayla’s face was as much a balm as the faint smile on her lips. We both nodded in near unison before turning back to Alizhard.
“We will,” was our mutual reply.
The pain of old sorrows mixed with the spark of new hope in the old Ember’s eyes as he stepped toward us, finally freeing the ancient rings from the cord that held them. “Very well. For the memory of my lost love and for the good of the land of my birth, I will grant you these artifacts of a happier time.” With careful movements and a bit of the pomp and circumstance you might expect from a member of the Sultan’s court, Alizhard handed each of us one of the Rings of Promise. “Bring them back to their glory and find the way to entwine your spirits. Find the joy that has been denied me for all these long years.”
Dynamic quest ‘Harmony Lost’ complete!
Alizhard Forshan has entrusted you with restoring the Rings of Promise!
You gain 50,000 Experience!
Grade C Broken Ring of Promise awarded!
Title ‘Ringseeker’ added!
“Now, my friends, let me tell you of the task that lies ahead of you,” Alizhard continued. I was barely listening as I held the Broken Ring up into the light. While the tarnish was obvious, I could also see minute cracks in the ring itself. It was a miracle it didn’t fall apart at the slightest touch, something I could only attribute to the magic still lingering in it.
Broken Ring of Promise
Grade C Ring
Though seemingly worthless due to age, there is some hidden energy in this ancient piece of jewelry.
Kayla nudged me lightly, pulling my attention back to Alizhard who had stopped his speech, glaring at me like a high school teacher would.
“Oh, uh, my apologies,” I automatically replied. “Keep going.”
He cleared his throat and did so. “Now, as I said, the Lykos, the guardians of this Vale, are the only ones that can restore the power of the Rings and the valley itself. You see, this place of peace and unity had become broken before we even arrived. While my studies had spoken of there being three packs that once stood in alliance, they no longer do.”
Alizhard tugged one of the scrolls out of his pack, unfurling it as he lectured. “The Lykos feel they represent the three forces that bind people together, you see. The Eastern pack champions romantic love, the Western pack stands for the bonds of family, and the Northern pack embodies the ties of friendship. While it is easy to argue that there are more complex relationships between us than that, I would argue that the Lykos are correct in that these form the building blocks of our harmonious bonds.”
I put forth the obvious question when it was my turn to speak. “What broke them apart, then? It sounds strange for believers in unity to fall apart like this.”
Alizhard’s answer was punctuated by a sharp laugh. “Ah, well, our people are the cause of that. As you may have discovered, the Lykos packs have ways to enter the rest of Elementalis and observe. To see what the Sundering has done to our once united world has caused something of an existential crisis in their beliefs. As the Primal Darkness infected our own Elements, it would seem that something similar has infected the virtues these people espouse.”
He gestured down the eastern path. “The tribe of love retreated in on itself, deciding that the outer world was not worth sacrificing their own.” Alizhard then turned to the west. “Those of the family argued for intervention … before they learned the, ahem, scandalous history of the Fire Sultanate’s royal line. More than one Sultan came to power by treachery committed on his own family, I assure you.” He glanced towards the north as his lips pressed together into a hard line. “Best not to speak of the north, I fear.”
Kayla raised a finger in objection as the focus came to her. “And I fear you need to tell us of them, Alizhard. You said we needed all three tribes to reforge the Rings so we need to know what has come of all three tribes.”
The philosopher turned back to us, eyes hard as he nodded. “Indeed, you are right. The north pack … they decided that the outer world had become infected by the Primal Darkness to a degree that we could not be saved. They argued that the combined packs should descend on Elementalis and raze it, leaving it as cosmic carrion for the Darkness as the Lykos stayed safe in their valley. Naturally, such twisted zealotry provided fertile ground for the same corruption they wished to destroy and the Darkness took root in them, bringing it to the Vale.”
Pulling on his beard, he sighed. “So, my suggestion is that you go to the other packs first. They will test you, I am sure, to look for proof of your mission, proof of your bond, but if you can sway them, you may have enough power restored to find a way to deal with the Northern pack, hopefully before they catch your scent and hunt you down.”
I glanced at Kayla and I could tell she was hooked. Challenge seemed to bring the most out of her from what I had seen in our time together and this looked to be a massive one. With that in mind, I turned back to Alizhard.
“So, which pack do you suggest we go to first?”
“Both of them at the same time,” Alizhard said with utter seriousness. I know I was gaping at the idea, I simply didn’t do things solo, but Kayla’s eyes sharpened as she smiled. “While you may have some time, the Lykos will sniff you out sooner as opposed to later. The only reason I have been tolerated is my ineffectiveness. With Sharaze gone and our bond broken, the Rings have no power with me. You, though, you two are a threat and the Northern pack will want you destroyed.”
Quest ‘The Trials of the Lykos’ available!
Objective: Restore the faith of the Eastern and Western Lykos tribes!
Reward: 150,000 Experience, Ring of Promise upgrade to Grade A Tarnished, Grade S Role Fusion Gem
Do you accept?
Rewards be damned (the experience alone was enough to level me from 42 to 43 at this point), the very idea of going alone into unknown content put unexpected fear into me. What was the point of this whole duo thing when a major part of this quest was solo? How did this help build a relationship?
Still, I could only really answer in one way, the same answer that Kayla leaped to almost immediately.
I mentally clicked ‘Accept’.
Quote 10
While we venerate all three pillars of harmony, our pack knows that love is the strongest of the principles. After all, there would not be people to come together in community if not for love. Romantic love is the strongest of bonds, the most passionate of pursuits, and so we howl now, in our chosen pairs, under the bright moon above. We howl for love!
A tribal chant from the Eastern Lykos pack
10
The reasoning behind why I was now standing within sight of a polished granite wall that extended out of sight into the still-breathtaking forest at the edge of the Eastern Lykos pack’s settlement/temple to love, was perfectly sound, despite the uncomfortable feeling I had about it.
“Look,” Kayla had explained, “the Eastern pack is the one that wanted to help Elementalis, right?” She was in the middle of inventory sorting, likely deciding what of her Grade S Arena rings she was replacing with the utterly stat-less and Gem-less Broken Ring of Promise. “That means they are a lot less likely to start any real trouble with you. You might be able to tank about anything, but if it did turn into a fight …”
“I’d never be able to finish it before I got worn down,” I finished with a grumble. She wasn’t wrong but I was a little annoyed by that fact. “It doesn’t mean I have to like it.” I had chos
en to ditch out my Grade A Slate Ring of Defense for my own Ring of Promise. There went two percent Physical Resistance and six points of Vitality out the window.
Kayla must have caught the grumble and put her hands on my shoulders. It was as comforting as it sounds. “It’s playing to our strengths. You’re great at talking to people, leading people, you know that right?” I didn’t and I was surprised to hear anyone say that. “The love folks don’t need fighting; they need convincing. I’m more self-sufficient so I’m going to the potential trouble spot.”
I gave her a crooked smile. “I’d never say I was good at anything involving people, but I guess you’re right, assuming you’re not just flattering me.”
Her reply was a thumb’s up. “Seriously, you can handle this, Shale. I can only hope I do half as well as you do when dealing with this other group.”
I took a deep breath and nodded. “You can do this. You are an Arena champion and that isn’t something just anyone can do. Besides, I think like our fans would say, we are Firsters, right?”
Kayla laughed and shook her head, the tension and frustration she had when we had first logged in seemingly gone. “I guess so.” She glanced toward the western path into the forest. “We should get going. We’ve got an hour and a half to get this done before the timer hits us.”
I nodded back. I wasn’t worried for her, I hadn’t been lying when I said that, but I had about nil faith in my own solo ability. “Right. Good luck!”
“To steal another phrase from the fans, we don’t need luck, do we?”
We shared a laugh and that had been that. I had started down the trail in good spirits but the walk on my lonesome had let doubt and trepidation seep back in. My therapists had always told me that I tended to be my own worst enemy, and it was never good for me to be alone for too long. This was the moment I began to believe them. I looked back up at the wall and the rusting iron portcullis before me.
The gate didn’t look well maintained but the edges of it, where the gate slipped into a groove in the thick wall, were worn clean. This thing had been moved and regularly enough to not seize up. The wall was thick with frost ivy and cinder weed and looked to be completely unguarded, but I had that prickly feeling in my skull, that ‘someone-is-staring-at-you’ vibe. Well, I hadn’t come here to sneak in, even if that was possible with my rocky body and clanking plate armor.
“My name is Shale,” I called out, “a Warlord from the outer world!” Letting that sink in for a moment, I took another deep breath and redoubled my volume. “I have come to you, the Eastern Lykos, to find a way to restore the harmony of the Vale and seek your help!” Raising my right hand, I unequipped my gauntlets to show the Ring of Promise on my finger. “We’ve come to restore the Rings of Promise!”
The sound of foliage rustling from the other side of the wall caught my ears, an almost deliberate snapping of twigs and brush of leaves, and a figure appeared in the shade of the archway.
A tall, wiry man, likely another Ember judging from the flame-red skin, he was garbed in a strange motley outfit that made me think an ancient Greek philosopher had mixed up his laundry with a fantasy barbarian with a wolf fetish. It started with a simple white tunic, open enough to show off his bare chest, held closed with a leather belt. His bracers and boots were made from the pelts of Scorch Wolves, the reddish fur still shimmering with heat, and he wore a headdress made from that selfsame wolf’s head, the empty eye sockets accented with rubies.
Despite the dramatic appearance, there was a faint smile on the man’s lips, and he bore no weapons. Even his hands were folded behind his back in a non-threatening manner. “You are not the first to say such things, outlander, or to bear one of the Rings … yet you are not like the old one.”
His eyes were focused on the Ring, moving with every twitch of my hand. Keeping it raised, I cleared my throat. “Does that mean you’ll let me in? Give me a chance to prove myself to you?”
“I will.” As I moved to step forward toward the gate, he raised his hand. “Before I do so, I must know if you truly understand what it is you are doing, what it is you are forging in your quest for those rings.” His tone was even, kind, yet they still cut deep.
Did I really know? I mean, my experience with romance was highly stunted by the accident, by my family responsibilities, and most of all by my own trauma and hang-ups. Heck, more than once since we stepped onto the streets of Kalaam, I’d questioned if I even wanted to be doing this at all. I was silent for a long moment, trying to think of how I could answer this strange, smiling man. When it came to me, it was a flash of realization, a eureka moment.
“No,” I confessed, “but who does understand love when they first find it? It’s impossible to know what love, the love that wants you to bare your soul to someone you have never known before, will do or what it will make you do.” I was smiling a bit madly at that point. “But that unknown makes it all the more exciting, it makes your heart want it even more, no matter what your mind thinks. As a very wise young lady once told me, you just have to go for it.”
Those steadily glowing eyes stayed on me, probing deeper under my skin, before the smile on the Ember’s lips grew.
“You may enter.” Before he even finished his words, the portcullis ratcheted up, clearing the way forward.
I resisted the urge to pat myself on the back for my good fortune. Instead, I nudged over to the group channel as I followed my new Lykos friend through the open gate (which did indeed close behind me ominously) to check on Kayla. The status UI showed that everything was well, no combat or anything, but I wanted to be sure.
Shale: Everything all right?
Kayla: Strangely, yes, yes, it is. These wolf head Embers let me in without too much convincing.
Shale: Me too. I’m actually more worried now than I was.
Kayla: About us?
Shale: No, about how hard this quest is going to be!
She didn’t reply, but I wasn’t sure if that was due to having nothing to say or the fact that the group UI went gray as if we were in two different zones of the game world. Still, even if the two packs’ temples were considered separate zones, that wouldn’t block group chat. Then again, what about these quests or this situation was normal?
“Do not be alarmed if you cannot speak with your chosen, outlander,” the wolf monk replied as we walked through a short trail through the tangled trees. “There are certain protections we were forced to undertake to defend our packs from the North, those who embrace destruction instead of harmony.”
We weren’t in a normal NPC talking interface but considering how Alizhard had acted at points, I decided to make conversation anyway. “So, if they’ve done that, gone totally in with the Darkness, is there any chance for your three peoples to be reunited? Our friend told us that is the only way to reforge the Rings of Promise, with the power of all three packs.” Up ahead, I could see another large plaza lit brightly by the sun.
“Our pack is one that truly understands passion,” my guide mused. “Seeing the horrors committed by some of your people, the pack of the North was thrown into a passion of their own, a darker passion than the ones we embrace. As love can blind one to danger, we believe our Northern brothers and sisters were blinded by their other passion, letting the Darkness in involuntarily.”
“In other words, you think they can be saved.” As usual, I thought it best to cut to the chase. “Which is why you let me in. You think if Kayla and I can pass your tests, rekindle some of the Rings’ power –”
“You may be able to lead us to cleanse the North and reunite all three of our packs.” He smiled as we entered the expansive courtyard.
To limit it to one simple function like that oversimplified what this was. The place was the size of a football field or more, the center of it dominated by a sunk-in amphitheater with tiered seats. A fountain gently gurgled at the top of those seats, a Life Crystal thrusting up through the waters.
Flower beds were placed in strategic areas around in a circular pat
tern with a few solitary trees of various elements to shade lounging lovers. Ancient buildings that looked sturdy and lived-in despite their age surrounded the plaza, all matching the architecture of the central plaza and the portal we had arrived through.
Speaking of lovers, the entire place was full of couples. Unlike the preponderance of Embers I had encountered before, people of all four elemental-folk were represented, and they all dressed in similar fashions as my guide. Some of these pairings were man and woman, some man and man, others woman and woman, and no one seemed to be shunned or shamed.
They sat together, laughed together, ate together, even argued together. That last bit was actually the most comforting. For a moment, I was about to wonder what kind of drug or magic was making them so perfectly docile.
“Wait, I thought your people was entirely split up, including the East and West,” I thought aloud. “Yet you seem to be in contact like you knew Kayla would be talking to them right as I’m talking with you. What’s really going on here?”
“There is conflict and then there is, well, conflict.” The Lykos motioned to one of the fighting couples as we continued toward the amphitheater. “People fight. It is the nature of the world. Yet every conflict does not have to lead to a total shattering of ties. Our relationship with the Eastern pack is a lover’s spat, a quarrel that may be long-standing but not insurmountable. We are not enemies.”
“Not like your conflict with the North and the Darkness.” It made sense when he put it that way. “And being side-by-side fighting for your beliefs isn’t the worst way to get back together, to continue your metaphor.”
“You are wise beyond your experience, Warlord.” As the monk led me past the fountain and down the steps to the stage of the forum, more and more of the Lykos couples disengaged themselves from their idle activities and found places among the rows of seats. “For the sake of you, your chosen, and the entire Vale, I hope your wisdom continues through the trial ahead.”
The Vale of Three Wolves: A LitRPG Adventure (Elements of Wrath Online Book 2) Page 11