“Never heard of it,” Arch replied with a light shrug.
“I’ve heard of it,” Dark said. “I thought it was a level 1-5 province.”
“It was,” Olaf said. “Then an undead horde from the next province over invaded. Now it’s a level 1-30 province.”
“Woah, is that some kind of event?” Dark asked.
“Yep,” Olaf said. “Unfortunately, we have a time sensitive quest and are in need of a healer.”
“Interesting, you said your other healer would be returning?” Arch asked. “Does that mean I can’t stay with your group to complete the quest?”
“No such thing as too many healers,” Olaf said. “We’ll understand if you want to leave after a couple of days, but you’re welcome to stay with us until either we finish the questline, or you need to log off. Whichever comes first.”
Arch nodded once but did not ask any more questions.
Things were silent until Dark broke it again, asking, “Who is your God, Arch?”
“I serve the Goddess Eir, a Norse Goddess of Healing,” Arch replied.
“An angel working for the Norse, seems a little strange to me,” Dark said.
“I’ll have you know that the Valkyries were maiden warriors that flew over the battlefields on white wings, helping the souls of the departed find their way to the afterlife,” Arch stated, showing a bit more life . . . and fury with Dark for talking down to her like that.
“Yeah, but aren’t you a bit small to be a Valkyrie? I thought they were Viking warrior women,” Dark countered teasingly.
Arch slumped slightly and pouted. Softly, she said, “It was the closest I could get to a winged woman. There are no actual Bird-Human Beastkin. Talk about a letdown. You want to be a Catgirl or a Foxgirl? Sure, no problem. Birdwoman, nope, sorry. You can do a smaller race like a sprite and bird Beastkin or even a Harpy, but no human for you.” She actually growled as she finished. She took a few deep breaths before she spoke again. “Then I found a loophole. Nephilim. The offspring of a human woman and an Angel. It’s a hidden race that is only available if you ask for it. Still ended up being a small race due to the flight mechanics, but at least it left me looking human, except for the downy white wings of course. The bonus holy spell power is great. The low Stamina, Endurance, and Strength, not so much.”
“That is so cool,” Dark said. “I didn’t even know there were hidden races.”
“Yeah, I haven’t met any others, but according to the forums there are a few running around. And apparently, they are in limited numbers, meaning there will only ever be so many Nephilim flying around the World Tree,” Arch said, sounding pleased with herself. Her story done, she looked back to Olaf and said, “So that’s my story, what about you and your group?”
But, before Olaf could answer, Dark chimed in, “I’m human all the way. I got ‘Blacksmithing’, ‘Mining’, and ‘Enchanting’ for professions already. I haven’t decided on my fourth yet. I’m hoping I’ll find a rare profession or something.”
“That’s great, but I was asking the Bullman,” Arch said.
“It’s fine,” Olaf said. “I’m actually a Minotaur Bull. Artillery Class. And-”
Dark interrupted Olaf with a loud, “Woah, you’re an Artillery? I thought those were made up. I mean, that stuff about enslaving gunners and stuff sounded way too harsh.”
Olaf rolled his eyes. “That’s all lies,” he said. “It doesn’t require any of that. You just need to acquire Hand-Cannons and have the enhanced Strength stat that Ogres and a few other races get.”
“Oh,” Dark said deflating slightly.
“Right, well, we’re here,” Arch said, then pointing west, she added, “I think the temple of Anubis is that way.”
“Oh, right, well, I guess I’ll see you guys around. If you ever need a tank . . . just . . . you know, hit me up,” Dark said, looking somewhat dejected.
Olaf sighed. “Look, Dark, if you head to Hurlig Ridge, I’m sure you’ll be able to find some level appropriate quests and a group to run with. If nothing else, the town needs all the help it can get.”
“Really?” Dark asked, looking overly excited. “Well, that’s excellent. I’ll see you there . . . uh, eventually. I need to get back to that Ring again. I hate that stupid Portal Union and their price fixing.”
Olaf had no idea what Dark was talking about. But, with another sigh, he said, “If you can catch up with us, I’ll lend you enough to transport you.”
“Really? Oh, man, that’s totally awesome,” Dark said. “Okay, I’ll go quickly and try to catch up with you . . . oh, uh, where are you catching a portal back from?”
Olaf looked to Arch for help. He had no idea about that. This Portal Union was new. Especially since he just paid for a portal a couple days ago.
“Just, find the Portal Mage closest to here,” Arch said, sounding annoyed.
“Right, I’ll meet you here. Two hours enough?” Dark asked.
“Fine, now go,” Arch said, shooing him away.
Dark nodded one more time, then practically sprinted away.
“Are you always this nice?” Arch asked.
“What?” Olaf said. “He wasn’t a bad kid. Plus, he might be useful to the town.”
“Whatever,” Arch replied, then pointed east, “My temple is that way.”
“Lead the way,” Olaf said, following the little flyer. Eager to find out if she was going to agree to help him and his friends with their quest.
“So, what about the rest of your group? Good damage dealers? Tank?” Arch asked.
“Great damage dealers,” Olaf said, a bit self-serving in his statement. He liked to think that between himself and Bye-bye, he was the better damage dealer. “Though one of them is busy with another questline in Hurligville. Ah, that is the village in Hurlig Ridge. But between Bye-bye and me, there is plenty of damage output. As for our tank, she’s amazing. Rose uses a Shield-Wall.”
That statement brought Arch up short, halting her and making her stumble as she landed unexpectedly.
“Bye-bye?” Arch asked. “As in Bye-bye Jacko? The Bain of Player Killers? Bye-bye ‘Justice Bringer’ Jacko? That Bye-bye? Please tell me you’re not kidding. Do you really, actually know him?”
“Uh, yeah,” Olaf said slowly.
“Oh, my, Goddess,” Arch gushed excitedly. “I’ve seen the videos from the Hammer and Anvil Mountain Valley War. He might be the most famous player in the World Tree aside, from Titan Beast. And you’re saying you know him. Like, know him, know him. You party with him?”
“Uh, yeah,” Olaf said, starting to wonder if he should have spent a little more time on the forums during his down time.
Arch was suddenly squealing excitedly and jumping up and down, clapping her hands in a way that strongly reminded Olaf of his wife. “And you want me to group with you guys? With Bye-bye?”
“Uh, yeah,” Olaf said.
“Oh, my, Goddess,” Arch repeated. “Of course, I’m in! Please, invite me into the group. I’ll heal for him, no problem.”
Olaf was suddenly slightly worried he might have invited a stalker to come heal for his group.
“I completely missed out on the Mountain Valley War, but I heard the stories. It must have been amazing. What’s it like to work with him?” Arch asked.
“Bye-bye?” Olaf asked, feeling completely unsure of how to answer that question. “I suppose . . . working with him is . . . good.”
“Of course, it is,” Arch said. “What am I thinking? Of course, it’s great to work with him.”
“You know, he’s a pretty normal guy,” Olaf said. “And he’s got a girlfriend.”
“Really? Is it serious?” Arch asked.
“Very serious,” Olaf said.
“It would figure he’s taken,” Arch said with a heavy sigh. “Still, it will just be amazing to adventure with him.”
Olaf was really starting to second guess himself on his choice of healers. Still, if he wanted to get back to Hurlig Ridge as soon as possible, the
n he couldn’t really afford to be picky. Plus, he still needed to find a spellcaster to round out his group. So, with a mental shrug, he invited Arch to his group. He just hoped Bye-bye . . . err, Rose wouldn’t kill him for inviting the girl along.
“This is going to be so awesome,” Arch said.
“Welcome to the team,” Olaf said. “Now, what do you say we get to your temple and you can take care of whatever you need to take care of.”
“Right, yes,” Arch said. “It might take a little while, first to talk to the head Priestess and then to learn a new spell or two. I’ll definitely get something good.”
After hearing she was getting some training, Olaf spoke up, “The ‘Holy Cleanse’ spell has been extremely useful, if you don’t have it, get it.”
“Got it,” Arch replied.
Olaf nodded. “Good, other than that, just make sure you can heal some heavy damage. The groups we’ve been fighting are large.”
“Got it covered,” Arch tried to assure Olaf.
“Other than that, you’re good,” Olaf said.
With that, Arch led them unerringly to her temple.
When Olaf got his first look at the Temple, he could immediately say it wasn’t as grand as the God Ivaldi’s temple. The building stood at two stories and was made from a wood Olaf couldn’t recognize. Probably something magical that only existed in the World Tree. Despite standing two stories tall, it did not look like it could fit more than a dozen people at a time.
“You can come in, but please be respectful,” Arch said as they approached the entrance, an open doorway.
Olaf naturally followed her inside, curious to see what another temple to a different God or Goddess looked like. Just inside on either side of the entrance were two stairways, both leading up to a balcony that looked over a throne room. The room was modestly decorated aside from the statue sitting upon the throne. It was a Valkyrie, just like Olaf had first seen in the Hidden Temple, a beginner dungeon in Hurlig Ridge. He could see why this temple would appeal to Arch.
“Greetings, adventurer,” a Priest greeted Olaf, drawing his attention away from the statue.
“Greetings,” Olaf replied, giving the
The Priest asked, “How may this humble servant assist you?”
“I’m just waiting on a friend,” Olaf replied.
“I see,” the Priest replied with a kindly smile. “Well, if you require a blessing of the Goddess Eir, please do not hesitate to ask.”
That caught Olaf’s attention. “What Blessing?”
The Priest smiled again. “We offer a small blessing to any who wish it.”
“And what does the blessing do?” Olaf asked.
“The Blessing of Eir increases healing received by 5%,” the Priest answered.
“How long does it last?” Olaf asked.
“An hour,” the Priest replied.
Olaf sighed at that. “Unfortunately, that wouldn’t last until I return to Hurlig Ridge. Thanks anyway.”
“Of course,” the Priest replied. “If you change your mind, please let me or one of the servants of Eir know.”
“Will do,” Olaf said with a nod. Unfortunately, there really wasn’t much else to do in the temple other than look at the limited architecture and the statue. He tried to go up to the upper floor, but some kind of magical barrier stopped him, suggesting the upper level was for the Priests and Paladins alone.
Eventually, Olaf took a seat on a bench by one of the walls and leaned back to wait on his newest recruit.
“Sorry for the wait,” Arch said, waking Olaf up. At some point he must have dozed off.
Standing and stretching, Olaf looked at his game clock and saw that almost three hours had passed, “No problem. Ready to go?”
“I am,” Arch replied.
“Think Dark is still waiting?” Olaf asked.
“Oh right, him,” Arch said, losing a bit of her energy. “Probably, he was a bit of a lost puppy, wasn’t he?”
“Hey, everyone’s got to start somewhere,” Olaf said.
“Yeah, but a level 9 has no business trying to get a level 28 or even a 24 to help him like that,” Arch said. “It’s just rude to expect to be carried like that.”
Olaf couldn’t exactly argue with that. It wasn’t very good gamer etiquette.
Dark was waiting for them, looking sullen and disappointed until he saw Olaf and Arch approaching.
“You’re here,” Dark said. “I thought you might have ditched me.”
“Nah, just took a bit longer than we planned,” Olaf said. “Sorry for making you wait so long.”
“No big deal,” Dark said. “So, Hurlig Ridge now?”
“No, next we need a to recruit a Mage,” Olaf said.
“Mage?” Arch questioned. “What do you need a Mage for? I thought you said your damage output was good?”
“And it is,” Olaf assured her. “As a group, we decided we needed to recruit a true ranged damage dealer. Bye-bye and I are both mid to close range damage dealers. Micaela falls into the same category, but again, she’s busy with a different quest. And Heath is purely melee damage with a little support thrown in.”
“I see,” Arch replied. “Do you expect this to delay us long?”
“Hopefully, we’ll find someone today and get back to Hurlig Ridge right away. Worse case, we stay until tomorrow before heading to Hurlig Ridge,” Olaf answered.
Arch frowned but kept quiet.
Dark didn’t. “Uh, dude, I can’t really afford to stay a night in Root City.”
“You can go ahead of us,” Arch suggested.
“Yeah . . . no can do. Olaf is my ride, if you know what I mean,” Dark said, rubbing his thumb and forefinger together.
“Mooch,” Arch stated disapprovingly.
“Easy now,” Olaf said. “How about I get you both to Hurlig Ridge first and then I’ll work on finding a Mage? Does that work?”
“But how will Bye-bye know me without you?” Arch said, instantly forgetting her dissatisfaction with Dark.
“Just tell him I sent you,” Olaf said as if it was the simplest thing in the world.
“Will he believe me? He’s kind of famous, you know,” Arch argued.
“It’ll be fine. Trust me,” Olaf said, trying to convince his new healer. “When you get to Hurlig Ridge, follow the road to the city, Hurligville. Once you’re there, go to the Doghouse Inn. You can ask for Bye-bye or Rose. Dogson should be able to point you in the right direction. Worst case, you stay the night at the inn and catch up to him in the morning. Sound good?”
Arch furrowed her brows. “Fine, but if I find out this was a trick or a prank, I will make you regret it.”
“That’s fine,” Olaf said, feeling exasperated with the conversation. “Now, let’s go find a portal Mage and get you two on your way.”
Olaf ended up paying the full fare to get the three of them back to the ninth ring. It was costly, but worthwhile to get the pair out of his hair.
With those two on their way, Olaf stopped into a bar to get a drink. Part of him felt a little guilty for sending Arch the way he did. But Bye-bye and Rose would get over it eventually . . . right? Too late to worry about that now.
Finishing another pint of beer, Olaf paid his tab and went back to Martin and his exorbitant portal prices. Luckily, he got into a group heading to the crafting ring immediately and it only cost him a single gold.
The University was larger than he expected. If he was going to find a magical type, then the University was a good starting point. Mages seemed to congregate around the more magical professions, things like ‘Enchanting’ and ‘Runology’ fell into that category. Then again, so did ‘Tailoring’.
Olaf stopped the first person in a robe he could find,
“Inside,” the scholar replied, sounding annoyed that Olaf even asked. “Honestly, I can never get any work done with those adventurers in there all
the time. I wish they would go somewhere else. It is just rude.”
Olaf didn’t stop the scholar from walking away.
Inside it was much like Olaf would have expected of a hallowed hall of learning. Until the first player opened her mouth.
A woman’s voice rang out, “Jace, where did you put my EP jar?”
“I left it on the table next to you,” someone from somewhere deeper in the building shouted back.
“No wonder the scholar can’t get any work done in here,” Olaf said. He could admit that even he would have a difficult time working with this much noise.
The woman yelled back, “It’s not there!”
Olaf looked around for anyone that might be able to point him in the right direction.
Naturally, someone standing right behind him made him jump by simply asking, “Little lost?”
Startled, Olaf turned around swiftly to see a short woman . . . though most people were short to him.
“Are you lost?” Stephanie asked again.
“What? Lost, no, sorry,” Olaf quickly apologized. “I was just a little surprised by your level. It’s higher than Titan’s.”
That caused Stephanie to freeze. “Wait, are you saying my level is higher than Titan Beast’s?”
“Yeah, you’ve got him by one,” Olaf replied.
“Yes!” Stephanie cheered. “And I didn’t do it by grinding mobs. Score one for the professionals.”
Olaf snorted a laugh at the woman’s celebration.
“Right, sorry, I just didn’t expect that today,” Stephanie replied. “Anyway, what brings you to the University?”
“I’m looking for a Mage,” Olaf replied.
“And a Mage you have found,” Stephanie said. “Well, Enchantress actually, but that is neither here nor there. What did you need a Mage for? Got something you need an enchantment broken on? Or something you need an enchantment added to?”
World Tree Online: The Order of Epic Grinders: 4th Dive Page 17