by Seth Ring
Abilities: [Wolf Lord’s Howl], [Avatar of the Wolf], [Call the Pack], [Blessing of the Moon], [Presence of the Wolf Lord], [Martial Form: Dawn], [Basic Weapons Mastery], [Apprentice Orator], [Rallying Cry], [Pack Travel], [Earth Sense], [The Devil is in the Details], [Shadow Dash], [Language Proficiency: Abyssal], [Intercepting Strike (lvl 1)], [Armor of the Earth], [Heart of the Earth ], [Call the Stone Legion]
Frowning slightly, he examined his status. Apart from picking up the [Gladiator] title in the Maandell arena, Thorn’s status was unchanged. He was hoping that the potion had removed his [Living Statue] curse, but it did little more than allow him to speak. Still, that was more than enough for Thorn. He had quite enough of being mute and was very pleased to have his voice back.
Title: Living Statue
The corrupted mist of the stone heart drains the energy of the world and has numbed your body and spirit.
You have suffered from prolonged exposure to the mist and have been petrified, gaining the stone curse permanently.
Your abilities are locked.
Your voice has been partially silenced.
Opening up his communication panel, he saw that his calling and messaging buttons were still greyed out, but now that he could talk he could at least communicate with the people around him. Partially silenced was better than completely silenced.
“Thank you again. My name is Thorn. I’ve been suffering under that curse for a while now, and I’m quite glad to have some of the symptoms alleviated.”
“It’s not completely gone? Really? Wow, tenacious bugger, huh? I mean that potion I gave you was strong enough to melt through a person’s insides so I guess your petrification was further along than I thought. Hmmm, I might be able to brew another one if I can find some more speckled tree fungus.”
“No, no, this is fine.” Thorn shook his head. “By the way, how should I address you?”
“My name? Oh, I guess I have not introduced myself.” The young man’s hands paused and he lifted his goggles from his yes. Wiping off his hand on his filthy robe, he held it out to Thorn. “My name is Alph, the Mad Master Alchemist.”
“Nice to meet you Alph. As I said, thank you for your help with this curse. It has been quite difficult for me to deal with.”
“It does look like a nasty one. Huh, let me think about this…”
Worried that Alph was going to become consumed in his thoughts again, Thorn coughed and stepped forward, patting the young man on the shoulder. Tapping him just hard enough to knock him out of his musings, Thorn tried to quickly redirect Alph’s attention.
“My friends and I were looking for the World Tree as we think that its sap would be effective in treating my curse. Have you ever run across World Tree sap before?”
“Huh? Oh, yes, that would work. I mean, its slightly overkill, but it would work just fine. The World Tree’s sap will clear any status effect. Including your curse. But if that is your plan than you’ve got a rough path ahead of you.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, the World Tree is missing. And dead. Sort of. If you want the sap, the only option is to look for the root system and hope that the pool has accumulated enough sap. But no one except for me knows where the root system is.” Alph said over his shoulder as he walked to the little kitchenette and lit the stove.
“You know where the root system is?”
“Mmhhhm.” Picking up a kettle, Alph filled it with water and placed it on the flame.
“Would you be able to lead me to it?” Thorn asked, his eyes lighting up. Finding a guide would allow him to get rid of his [Living Statue] curse much quicker.
“Sorry, not really interested.” Pulling a stool over as he waited for the water to boil, Alph sat down. Seeing Thorn’s somewhat shocked expression, he chuckled. “Look, I don’t mean to be heartless, but why on earth would I give up the most valuable alchemical material in the game? Leading you to the root of the World Tree would mean that I don’t have exclusive access to its sap. Seems like a rather stupid idea if you ask me.”
“That’s a fair point, I guess.” Frowning slightly, Thorn considered Alph’s words carefully.
It was true that it did not make a lot of sense for Alph to jump up and take him to the roots of the World Tree. Furthermore, judging by how well stocked Alph’s workshop was, Thorn was not sure that he had many ways to convince the alchemist to help him. As he was considering what to do, the kettle began to steam, letting off an airy whistle.
“Tea?” Alph asked, getting a pair of cups from his inventory.
“Oh, yes please.”
[Master! Now would be a great time for snacks!] Akira, who had been sitting quietly on Thorn’s shoulder, ran down his arm and jumped onto the table. Pushing some of the material that was scattered across its surface to the side, she cleared a space and patted the table excitedly. [Puff pastries! And those twisty things with sugar! Oh, frosting ones too!]
Chuckling, Thorn got a tray from his inventory and covered it with a pile of different kinds of pastries.
[Make sure you offer them to our friend first. Then you can eat some.]
[Yes, master!]
Grabbing the tray, Akira carefully lifted it up and put it on her head, balancing it with the tips of her three tails. Walking across the table, she stood in front of Alph who was watching her with considerable interest.
“Ooh, those look good. Thank you, little furry creature.” The alchemist selected a few of the pastries, placing them down next to his cup.
Akira turned around and placed the tray down in the center of the table. Plopping herself down next to it, her cheeks were soon bulging with pastries as she stuffed them into her mouth.
[Hey, slow down. We have plenty.] Amused, Thorn scratched Akira behind her ears. Accepting the cup that Alph handed him, he got his chair out of his inventory, taking a seat. Blowing on the steaming tea, Thorn looked around the lab curiously before settling his gaze on Alph who had pulled over a stool.
“Your base is pretty well developed. Have you been down here a long time?”
“Eh, it’s been a while. Maybe 5 years now? I had a much bigger base built up, but I had to retreat to this space. This used to be one of my store houses and field labs so it was pretty easy to convert to a full-time living space.”
“You’ve been down here for 5 years?”
“Oh, I’ve been down here a lot longer than that. It has been, what? 37 years? I think? Hah, as you can imagine, it is sort of difficult to track time down here. But based on my out of game time, I’ve been playing for nearly six years in real time.”
“Are you serious? You’ve been down here for almost 40 years?”
“Yeah, I guess it has been a while.” A smile crossed Alph’s face. “Well, I got trapped down here almost as soon as I entered the game. It is a complicated story, but I was running away from some people just after entering the game. They claimed that the reason they were chasing me had to do with the strange side effects of a potion I sold them, but I think they were more interested in my alchemy set. Anyway, I was running away and stumbled into a cave system. After falling down a cliff and getting swept away by a river I ended up here in this tomb system. Since then I’ve been practicing my alchemy and exploring the tomb.”
“Wow, I knew this game was big, but I did not realize that it was big enough for you to explore a tomb for 40 years.”
“I mean, I have not been exploring the whole time. I’ve probably spent about half of the time on experiments. It took me a lot of work to really understand alchemy. Even with all of the notes that I found down here. Oh, and dying. I’ve done a lot of dying which cuts down my play time pretty significantly. You’d be surprised at how many things down here can kill you. Spiders, snakes, the root system, lava, spirits, bad potions. Probably half of my deaths were due to bad ingredient combinations.”
“It sounds like you have had a lot of really interesting experiences.” Finishing his tea, Thorn placed the cup on the table, staring at Alph as if he was
a rare treasure. “There are so many questions I want to ask.”
“Hah, life certainly has been pretty eventful since I entered Nova Terra. How about you? You’re a half-giant, right? I bet you’ve had some really interesting experiences.”
“Titan, actually.”
*CRASH*
Alph had been reaching for one of the pastries but when he heard Thorn’s words he completely missed and knocked a tall flask that was next to the pastries over, causing it to tumble from the table and smash all over the floor. Completely unconcerned with the wasted potion, Alph pointed a trembling finger at Thorn.
“Y...y...y...yo...you are a Titan!?”
By the time he managed to stammer out his question he was practically screaming, causing Thorn to let out a chuckle.
“Yeah, it was the only race that could handle my, uh, body type.”
“Wow, so you are that tall in real life? Is that a record?”
“No, there have been a number of people who were taller. Though, if I keep growing I have a shot at making the record. But I actually started playing about a year ago. A year in game. Maybe less actually. Anyway, it has been eventful.”
“Well, it would be. You’re a Titan, after all.” The look in Alph’s eyes was intense, causing Thorn to sit back in his chair and Akira to watch him carefully.
“What do you mean by that?”
“You’re the center, all things orbit you.” Seeing Thorn’s puzzled look, Alph chuckled ruefully and scratched his chin. “How much do you actually know about your race?”
“Only what the description told me.” Thorn held up his hands helplessly, calling up his race’s description. “I also have a quest to find out more, but it really doesn’t tell me much.”
Titan - Unique
Now lost in the mist of time, this ancient race once ruled the world, rivaled only by the great Dragons. Long-lived and immensely strong, the Titans were masters of almost anything they put their hand to and created a far-reaching empire that is still ruled by the Elemental Giants. Little else is known about the Titans, and further information must be unlocked through discoveries in game.
Missing Titans
Before the Era of the Gods, Titans walked Angoril. Unmatched in both battle and arts, the Titans were masters of whatever they put their hands to, yet almost overnight they vanished, leaving nothing but giant ruins and dim records of their existence. According to the ancient myths of the Wolfkin, the Titans ruled over all creatures and were the gods’ contemporaries.
Discover what happened to the Titans and why they disappeared.
This quest cannot be turned down.
“I’ve run across quite a few places in Nova Terra that seem like they were built for Titans based on their size, but I’ve not made any progress in discovering what happened to them.”
“Oh wow, this is fascinating!” Alph’s eyes lit up as he read the race’s description. “It says that the Elemental Giants still rule the Titan’s empire. I have not heard of any Giants who have an empire, so maybe they live in a subspace or a separate world. Curious. Huh, but I wonder why the Titans just disappeared? Especially if they were the Gods’ contemporaries and equally as strong as dragons. Curious, curious.”
Getting up from his stool, Alph began to pace back and forth, mumbling to himself as he tapped his chin. Thorn looked over at Akira who was sitting on the table munching on a cinnamon twist. Catching Thorn’s glance, Akira gave a cute shrug as if to say she had no idea what was wrong with the Mad Master Alchemist.
“I got it! You need to come with me.” Smacking his fist into his palm, Alph rushed over to a chest and threw it open, revealing a whole pile of vials with different colored liquid. Grabbing handfuls of small vials, he began shoving them into the empty loops in his bandoleers. Once the loops on his belts were filled, he packed vials into the pouches by his sides.
Rushing to the back of the room, he picked up a dusty looking lantern and a thick staff, brushing the cobwebs from it. Spinning around, he walked back up to Thorn who had put his chair away and was putting his helmet back on. Thorn could feel the hair on the back of his neck rising when his eyes met Alph’s. The dangerous feeling that Alph had given him initially was back in full force.
The mad alchemist had a crazy look in his eye and a wide grin on his face, but despite his smile Thorn was not feeling comforted at all. Lifting his hand, he waited for Akira to jump up onto it before he followed Alph to the door. As they walked out, Alph looked back at Thorn and spoke.
“Look sharp, Thorn. The place we’re going is really dangerous. You’re looking for the roots of the World Tree, right? Haha, I’ll take you. Don’t blame me for not warning you now though, it is going to be a rough trip.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
The sound of Thorn’s feet echoed down the passageway as he followed Alph closely. When Thorn first walked through the crypt he expected it to be completely silent, but now, as he walked behind the Mad Master Alchemist, he noticed a number of different sounds. The light scratch of the insects that skittered underfoot fleeing from the bobbing lantern Alph carried reminded Thorn that even though they were underground the tomb supported a whole ecosystem in its winding passages.
“There are a couple things that we need to pay attention to.” Alph talked as he walked, glancing back at Thorn’s huge form every now and again. “We’ll be facing a few different types of enemies, and since you want to make it to the World Tree, it is going to be especially tough. Honestly, I’m not sure we’ll be able to do it by ourselves.”
“Should I call some of my friends?”
“Nah, it’ll take too long. Plus, we’d have to go to the exit, which is more than a day away and we can’t afford that. I’ve already cleared the spawning pods once today, but if we go we won’t make it back in time to clear them tomorrow.”
“Sorry, I’m not following. Why do we have to be worried about the spawning pods?”
“It’s a long story.” Sighing, Alph gestured to the path ahead. “Just wait till we get there and I’ll show you. That will be easier than trying to explain everything.”
Thorn nodded, reaching out absentmindedly to catch a pastry that fell from where Akira sat on his shoulder. When she realized that they were leaving, she had insisted on taking the rest of the pastries with her instead of letting Thorn put them back into his inventory.
[Are you sure you don’t want me to carry those for you?]
[Master, how am I supposed to eat them if they are in your inventory? It takes a lot of energy to maintain my beautiful and shiny coat, you know? It takes hard work and dedication to be as pretty as I am so I need lots of fuel.]
[Sure, but I’m afraid you’re going to lose them.] Thorn caught another falling pastry.
“Need something to hold those?” Alph asked. He had been watching Akira and Thorn juggle the pastries back and forth for a few minutes before he took off a pouch from his side, emptying the potion vials out of it. “It is not fancy, but it will hold your stuff.”
Akira dumped all of the pastries into Thorn’s hands and jumped over to Alph as Thorn fumbled to hold them. Landing on the pole that held the lantern, she snatched the pouch and bounced back to Thorn’s shoulder, chattering with excitement. Climbing onto Thorn’s arms, she began picking the pastries out of his large hands and packing them carefully into the pouch.
While Akira was putting her treats away, Alph got out a strip of leather from his inventory and cut it down to Akira’s size. By the time Akira had finished, the alchemist had made a small belt to hold the pouch.
“Thanks.” Taking it from Alph, Thorn carefully threaded the pouch onto the belt and helped Akira put it on. Noticing her frown, Thorn asked her what was wrong.
[Master, this is a nice gift, but it is really ugly. I don’t know if I can wear it.]
[What are you talking about? It makes you look quite dashing. Sure, it’s a bit crude, but it makes you look like a proper adventurer.]
[Oh? Really! Haha, it does.] Sitting up proudl
y, Akira ran her claws over the worn leather.
“Looks great!” Alph gave Akira a thumbs up as they continued on their way. As they wound through the tunnels, Thorn had a bit of trouble figuring out what direction they were headed. Most of the tunnels that they were passing through looked the same to Thorn, but his sharp vision picked up some footprints in the dust ahead of them.
“Hey, are we going back the way we came?”
“Hmm? Oh, yeah. The door you were trying to open is the fastest way to get to the core of the tomb. That is where we’ll find the roots of the World Tree. I figured that we could just open up the way while we’re going. I brought some more [Greater Fire Resistance] potions so the dragonflame trap should not be a problem. Though, if there are any enemies beyond the door I’ll need you to put that stick of yours to good use.”