by John Nest
“Don’t worry, though,” blurted out Cynar. “Me and my men will stick around and fight alongside Faux.” He returned her smile. “So, what’s this new plan?”
“Just a simple revision really,” began Meneur. “I’ll have twenty MaduHai Orks join you in Etonner Valley.”
“That’s it?” asked Smoke.
“Yes,” replied Meneur. “Now, give me about an hour while I go prepare some stuff.”
“Oh, you don’t have to bother giving me anything,” said Smoke. “The armies from the two kingdoms will have plenty of provisions.”
“Silly, silly, Smo—Faux! I’m packing my things,” explained Meneur, chuckling. “I’m going to be one of the Orks who’ll be joining you.”
“Wait, before you go do that I’d like to talk about the Quest you sent me on earlier,” Smoke said to Meneur.
“Oh, right!” replied Meneur.
Then, a notification window popped up.
+ Completed Quest: MaduHai P.R.O.
You have successfully allied the MaduHai Orks with the Kingdoms of Vitzytl and Thanotl
Rewards:
* Sacred Clay Staff
* 1,500,000 XP
Smoke stared at the earthy looking staff which suddenly appeared in his hand. It was as long as his current manatl staff but had an empty receptacle on its head.
“That should prove more useful than the one you’re using now,” said Meneur and proceeded to prepare for their journey towards Etonner Valley.
Left alone, Smoke inspected his staff at once.
Sacred Clay (Staff)
A simple earthen staff emitting a peculiar aura. The empty receptacle on top of the staff only adds to the mystery.
Durability: (5,000/5,000)
+ 10 Intelligence
Requirements:
– Can only be used by Mage variations
– Level 120
– Strength: 100
– Agility: 100
– Intelligence: 400
Equipment Ability:
*Earth Rod (Passive)
> Increases Lightning Resistance by 20%
> Increases Earth Affinity by 20%
‘Plus ten to Intelligence!’ exclaimed Smoke in his mind. This would give him his much-needed boost to finally use his Conjure Automaton Knight ability.
“Um. Cynar, I need to—” began Smoke, as he was thinking up of an excuse to get away from his renewed OrkElf friend. He couldn’t go into the village because he was not disguised as Ilad. However, his excitement would not be contained. He wanted to see the shape of his own Automaton Knight. “Check on the village dam. Um… Ilad asked me to check it out for him.”
Cynar shrugged his shoulders. “Fine. I’ll just wait right here.”
Without waiting for Cynar’s response, Smoke leaped up and glided towards the dam.
* * * * * *
On top of the dam, Smoke peeked over his shoulder and made sure that he was out of Cynar’s view. First, he equipped the sacred clay staff. With his maximum mana now reaching beyond 500,000 MP, he then activated his long coveted ability.
“Come out, Automaton Knight!” yelled out Smoke with his hands stretched out.
A multi-colored conjuring circle appeared in front of him, followed by a flash of white light. When the light vanished, a faceless gray training dummy materialized before him, bare. A circular cavity etched into its chest. It stood as the same height as him and followed his gaze as Smoke circled the Automaton Knight, inspecting it.
“You don’t look like an Automaton Knight at all,” said a frowning Smoke.
Then, the Automaton Knight’s Character window popped up.
Name: Automaton Knight | Level: 001 | Job: Knight
————————————————–
Life: 20,000 HP Mana: 0 MP
Morale: (50/100) EXP: (0/1000)
————————————————–
Element:
Head:
Neck:
Torso:
L-Hand:
L-Arm:
L-Leg:
L-Foot:
‘Now this looks promising!’ thought Smoke, all enthusiastic. He hurriedly equipped his Automaton Knight with some of the leftover items he had. He gave it a long sword, a skullcap, a chain-mail, and a round shield, dropped items from the skeleton warriors guarding the Labyrinth’s exit.
Sadly, he was greeted by an error notification.
– Level Requirement not met
His old modified pants given to him by James Jackal had no level requirement but needed 330 Dexterity.
“Looks like you’ll have to do with a starter pack,” said Smoke to the faceless Automaton.
He gave it his old novice armor, a beginner’s knife, and the specialized gas mask Howard Hide made for him long ago. When he was done, it looked far from decent but was still a definite improvement from a bare Automaton Knight.
“Good. Now, why don’t we see what you’re capable of,” he said to the Automaton Knight. “Attack me!”
In a mechanical fashion, the Automaton Knight sluggishly moved towards Smoke. It raised its Beginner’s knife and swung it over Smoke’s head.
As a reflex, Smoke put up a manatl shield. However, the barrier he created was far stronger than he had planned. It stretched out in front, knocking his Automaton Knight backward into the canal.
PLOP
He heard a loud splash as the Automaton Knight fell into the moving canal waters. A worried Smoke was about to go jump in after his items. They may have been spares but they were still valuable to him. Thankfully, he spotted a minimized blinking window on the corner.
– Automaton Knight has been greatly damaged:
Do you wish to recall? [YES/NO]
Clicking the option, the Automaton Knight was teleported from the canal and appeared in front of him. It was still fully equipped with the items Smoke gave it. Yet, before Smoke could do anything else, it vanished into thin air, along with his items.
+ Automaton Knight gained 10 XP
With his Knight and items gone, Smoke immediately tried summoning it back again. He stretched out his arms and activated his ability.
– Not enough MP to use Conjure Automaton Knight
‘Right! Forgot about the 500,000 MP,’ realized Smoke. He checked his status window and saw that he needed twenty more minutes before his mana reached its maximum capacity.
Smoke huffed but smiled soon after. It might not be what he had envisioned, but grinding for a more powerful Knight was something to look forward to as well.
* * * * * *
A grinning Nash stepped out of his game pod. Despite the air conditioning inside the virtual gateway, his palms were still covered in sweat.
‘Today’s the day,’ he thought, excited. It was the cut-off day for the tally of views.
Receiving the quest ‘Ways of the Chilanes’, Nash was inspired to make a video of his time inside the Oracle of Aphend. Of course, he did not reveal the secret of opening it. He did, however, convey the oracle’s message.
“Now, remember these words well. Today, the world has become complacent about its situation. It has forgotten the tribulations of the past. Soon, it will experience the terrors that are written in the forgotten books. When the Sonstwelters reign will begin, so shall be the precursor of the end.”
Scrolling down, Nash saw that it had reached 7,500,000 views, enough for him to receive a $10,000 check. Yet, he was expecting it to be more.
A disappointed Nash scrolled down to read some of the comments on his latest video post.
Earat: Anyone here knows what this means?
DetectiveRonan: Probably some kind of Event-Quest requirement. Particularly about the part where the Sonstwelters reign will begin.
Missgaming: IMO, and I know not many will share this, it could have been a better video. Smoke’s cryptic puzzle isn’t for everyone. S
ometimes people want a detailed walk-through!
Buffet101: What city did Smoke do this?
DetectiveRonan: He’s supposed to be in the Chayotl Kingdom, so he probably did it in Centeo City.
CaptNemo: No way that’s right. My guild has never lost sight of the oracle in Centeo City, and not once did we see Smoke go near it.
SmoKing: That’s just how good Smoke is!
TriTank: Everyone, just drop this. This just means that Smoke got lucky! On the other hand, you people should check out Faux and Chrysopelea. They’re also rising stars along with me! Stay tuned for the war against the Ork Horde.
BZZT BZZT BZZT
Nash looked down and found a message from Sherry on his phone. As he was typing in his reply he stopped and decided to call her instead.
“Hey! Have you seen the video?” asked Nash.
“It was nice—” replied Sherry, nonchalant. “But I’ll have to watch the unedited version. Didn’t really get anything from the one you posted.”
“Was it that bad?” said Nash. “No wonder the views were that low.”
“Maybe, you should have shown them how to get into the oracle?” suggested Sherry.
“No!” exclaimed Nash. “And what next? Let everyone into the oracles?”
“Not step by step, of course. But maybe you could have added a few more hints,” said Sherry.
“You think so?” said Nash in a calmer voice. “Maybe. But I’ve already posted it and the deadline is up anyway.”
“Perhaps on the next video, then?” said Sherry. “Listen, I know that you’ve had trouble with your views lately. So, why don’t you post about how you’re actually Ilad and Faux. That would make a lot of views and the battles that you did while you were them could—”
“This again?” interrupted Nash. “I thought I already explained why I don’t want to reveal that?”
“Not really,” replied Sherry.
“I’ve only ever interacted with the other Sonstwelters when I was disguised as Ilad or Faux, never as Smoke,” replied Nash. “Because that’s something I only want to keep for myself, and for those few people I’m close to.”
“But you’ve already told plenty of Zectians about your true identity,” pointed out Sherry.
“That’s completely different,” retorted Nash. “They’re Zectians, for crying out loud!”
“Fine, fine, don’t make a video on that,” said Sherry. “Was just trying to help you get more views.”
For a few seconds, no one bothered to speak.
Then, Nash blurted out. “Sorry. I know you were only trying to help.” He paused and took in a deep breath. “It’s just that when I’m Smoke, I feel like I’m being judged as Nash. As my real self, you know?”
“Really? Why?” asked Sherry. “You’re a DarkElf, no one could recognize you in the street if they’ll see you,” she said and lightly laughed.
“See. You think that it’s funny,” said Nash. “But to me, it’s not. Can’t really explain it, but I just want Smoke to have the least contacts with Sonstwelters.”
“The whole time, I thought it was so you could keep a trump card about other Sonstwelters who’ll face us… But this can’t still be about what Tristan did to you, is it?” asked Sherry. “I mean, not revealing that you’re Ilad or is Faux fine. I won’t bring that topic up again. And Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll have better views on your next post.”
“You think?” asked Nash.
“But it would be a lot easier if you could post a video of you leading the army against the Ork Horde,” subconsciously blabbed out Sherry.
“Maybe,” replied Nash, chuckling. “But don’t worry, I’m sure I’ll have better views on my next post,” he said, repeating what she told him.
* * * * * *
Argument after argument, these were the only things that came out of the conversations between Cynar and Meneur. This made an annoyed Smoke steer away from the two of them whenever they began to talk. It had already been two days since all of them traveled together. By now, Smoke assumed that Cynar and Meneur would have acclimated with each other. Sadly, this was not the case. Sure, Cynar had opened up to working with the MaduHai Orks, but he never fails to mention how he hates all Orks in general.
Smoke, Cynar, and Meneur were leading the group of OrkElves and MaduHai Orks from on top of their respective dirus wolves.
“Whoa! What is that!” suddenly exclaimed Smoke when he saw the entrance of Etonner Valley.
In front of them stood two colossal statues opposite each other. Each one was as tall as the mountain they were attached to, but they were covered with grass and moss, clearly neglected. In the middle of the two monuments was the pathway that led to the valley. When Smoke used his Telefax Vision to examine the statues, he found that each one of them wore a crown and each had a royal staff.
“Halt!” called out Cynar to his men after Smoke stopped.
“What’s happening?” asked Meneur, her voice clearly worried. “I don’t sense anything,” turning her glazed eyes in all directions. “Speak up, you two! Are we being attacked?”
“It’s nothing,” said Smoke. “Was just surprised to see two giant statues. King Kajou said that there was nothing here.”
“Oh! You mean the effigies of the past Kings of Thanotl and Vitzytl,” answered Meneur. “This was supposed to be the place where the to Kings would meet and discuss their plans for the peaceful future of their kingdoms. But it seems it was never used for that.”
“Bet it was Snide who thought to use this neglected place,” said Cynar. “It would have been really ironic if the Ork Horde’s invasion started from this point.”
“Really? You think so?” Smoke asked Cynar. “Well, whoever it was is sure to be one sadistic bastard.”
“Sadistic? I wouldn’t say that,” said Meneur. “Anyway, you did say that Ilad was going to be joining us here, right?” she added, clearly trying to change the subject.
“Why would you bring that up?” asked Smoke, bothered to be put in a bind. But he noticed Cynar’s piqued ears. “Of course! Bet Ilad’s already there somewhere in the valley.”
“Good. We better get a move on. Can’t wait to see you and Ilad together in one place,” said Meneur and led the way, striking her heel against the dirus wolf’s belly.
– Entered Etonner Valley
The relatively peaceful land between the kingdoms of Thanotl and Vitzytl.
– Monsters inside this valley are non-aggressive.
– Suggested level for entering this forest is 60.
Passing through the two effigies of the past kings, Smoke and his companions traveled deeper into the valley. There, they found themselves awestruck at the sight of thousands of tents pitched up in the valley’s center. Yet, the number of tents paled in comparison to the number of people gathered outside. There were Magicians, Wizards, Knights, Paladins, Priests, Bishops, and more. All of them were busy preparing for the upcoming battle. Some were having friendly bouts against one another, while others were stocking up on their equipment. Yet, none of them were doing it discretely.
“And you were seriously going to do a surprise attack on the Ork Horde with this setup?” Cynar asked Smoke. “No wonder Meneur thought it best to come along.”
“What? Believe me, this wasn’t what I had in mind,” retorted Smoke. He then whispered into his pocket. “Daga, find out what’s going on,” he said to his Beggar Shade and casually dropped the little gray mouse on the ground.
“Don’t worry, I’m sure there’s a rational explanation for all of this,” said Smoke.
Shortly after, an elderly HighElf flew overhead and landed softly in front of them. “Smo—Faux, you’re finally here,” greeted Ouragan as the dust cleared. “That was cutting it a bit short there. We only have two days left before the Ork Horde arrives.”
“Yeah, about that,” said Smoke. “What’s up with the tents? Why are they out in the open?”
“Oh, those. They belong to the Thanotl army,” replied Ouragan. �
��But let’s talk about that later. Introduce me to the friends you’ve brought along.”
“Right. This is Meneur—High Priestess of the MaduHai Orks,” began Smoke. “And Next to her is the leader of this OrkElf Army—Cynar.”
“A pleasure to meet you both,” said Ouragan, walking up to them and shaking their hands.
“Where can my men and I rest?” suddenly blurted out Cynar.
“Not sure,” replied Ouragan, smiling. “But don’t worry. I’ll find a spot for you.”
Then, two guards walked up to Ouragan and whispered something to him. They were pointing to a grandiose tent.
“Faux, it seems Prince Matalim got wind of your arrival. He wants to see you,” said Ouragan.
“Great. I’ll take Meneur and Cynar with me,” replied Smoke. “We need to have a meeting about the coming battle.”
“Wait. What about my men? And Meneur’s comrades as well?” asked Cynar.
“I’ll get your friends settled,” said Ouragan. “In the meantime, why don’t the three of you head on over to the Prince. Don’t worry, I’ll catch up as soon as I’m done.”
The two guards escorted Smoke, Meneur, and Cynar towards Prince Matalim’s flamboyant tent.
“Faux! Finally!” exclaimed Trottel the moment Smoke and his companions stepped inside. “Still with the dramatic entrance?” he asked, stroking his long orange mane.
“Sorry, it took longer than anticipated,” replied Smoke. “But I’ve brought an OrkElf army and the leader of the MaduHai Orks with me,” he added, pointing to Cynar and Meneur.
As Smoke looked around the tent, he found Prince Matalim, Chrysopelea, and Eleve next to the pompous Trottel. ‘Where’s Tritank?’ wondered Smoke.
“How many men have you brought?” asked Prince Matalim. “By the way, King Kajou regrets to inform you that he cannot attend the battle here personally, and has sent me here instead to act as the Supreme Leader of this coalition.”